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SECOND  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA: 
REPORT  OF  PROGRESS,  G4. 


Part  I. 

THE  GEOLOGY  OF 

Clinton  County. 


Part  II. 

A Special  Study  of  the 

CARBONIFEROUS  AND  DEVONIAN  STRATA 

ALONG  THE  WEST  BRANCH  OF  THE 

Susquehanna  River, 
by 

H.  MARTYN  CHATS  CE. 


A COLORED  GEOLOGICAL  MAr  OF  CLINTON  COUNTY, 

A SHEET  OF  LONG  SECTIONS  ARRANGED  FOR  COMPARISON, 

A LOCAL  TOPOGRAPHICAL  MAP  OF  THE  RENOVO  COAL  BASIN, 
SIX  PAGE  PLATES,  21  FIGURED  SECTIONS  IN  THE  TEXT,  AND 
AN  INDEX  TO  THE  NAMES  OF  PERSONS  AND  PLACES. 


Included  in  this  report  are 


A Discription  of  the  Renovo  Coal  Basin, 

By  Chas.  A.  Ashburner. 

Notes  on  the  Tangascootack  coal  basin  in  Centre  and  Clinton  counties, 
By  Franklin  Platt. 


HARRISBURG: 

published  by  the  board  of  commissioners 

FOR  TIIE  SECOND  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY. 


Entered,  for  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1880,  according 
to  acts  of  Congress, 

By  WILLIAM  A.  INGHAM, 

Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Geological  Survey, 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at 
Washington,  D.  C. 


Electrotype^  and  printed  by 
LANE  S.  HART,  State  Printer, 
Harrisburg,  Pa. 


BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS. 


His  Excellency,  HENRY  M.  HOYT,  Governor , 

and  ex-officio  President  of  the  Board,  Harrisburg. 

Akio  Pardee,  ---------  Hazleton. 

William  A.  Ingiiam,  -------  Philadelphia. 

Henry  S.  Eckert,  - - - Heading. 

Henry  McCormick,  - Harrisburg. 

James  Macfarlane,  --------  Towanda. 

John  B.  Pearse,  - - Philadelphia. 

Joseph  Willcox,  - - Philadelphia, 

Hon.  Daniel  J.  Morrell, Johnstown. 

Louis  W.  Hall,  - - Harrisburg*. 

Samuel  Q.  Brown,  - - - Pleasantville. 


SECRETARY  OF  THE  BOARD. 
William  A.  Ingham,  -------  Philadelphia.. 


STATE  GEOLOGIST. 

Peter  Lesley,  ----------  Philadelphia- 


) co  M 


1880. 

ASSISTANT  GEOLOGISTS. 

Persifor  Frazer — Geologist  in  charge  of  the  Survey  of  Chester  county. 

Ambrose  E.  Lehman — Topographical  Assistant,  for  mapping  the  South 
Mountain. 

E.  Y.  d'Inyilliers — Topographical  Assistant,  for  mapping  the  Easton-Read- 
ing  range. 

Franklin  Platt — Geologist  in  charge  of  the  Satistical  Survey  of  the  An- 
thracite coal  fields,  &c. 

W.  G.  Platt — Geologist  in  charge  of  the  Survey  of  Armstrong  and  Jefferson 
counties. 

R.  H.  Sanders — Topographical  Assistant  in  Franklin  county. 

I.  C.  White — Geologist  in  charge  of  the  Survey  of  Susquehanna  and  Wayne 
counties. 

J.  F.  Carll— Geologist  in  charge  of  the  Survey  of  the  Oil  Regions. 

If.  M.  Chance — Geologist  to  report  on.  the  Mining  of  the  Anthracite  coal 
fields. 

C.  A.  Ashburner — Geologist  to  report  on  the  Geology  of  the  Anthracite 
coal  fields. 

A.  W.  Shea fer— Assistant  in  the  Anthracite  coal  fields. 

F.  A.  Genth — Mineralogist  and  Chemist  at  Philadelphia. 

F.  A.  Gentii,  Jr — Aid  in  the  Laboratory. 

A.  S.  McCreath—  Chemist,  in  charge  of  the  Laboratory  of  the  Survey,  223 
Market  street,  Harrisburg. 

John  M.  Stinson — Aid  in  the  Laboratory  at  Harrisburg. 

C.  E.  Hall — Geologist  in  charge  of  the  Survey  of  the  Philadelphia  belt, 
and  Palaeontologist  in  charge  of  the  Museum. 

M.  Chatman— Aid  in  the  Museum. 

H.  C.  Lewis— Volunteer  geologist  for  the  survey  of  the  gravel  deposits  of 
south-eastern  Pennsylvania. 

Leo  Lesquereux — Fossil  Botanist,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

E.  B.  Harden— Topographer  in  charge  of  Office  Work,  Ac.  1008  Clinton  street, 
Philadelphia. 

F.  W.  Forman— Clerk  in  charge  of  the  Publications  of  the  Survey,  223  Market 
street,  Harrisburg. 

Charles  Allen — Aid. 


« 


Philadelphia,  November  19,  1880. 

To  His  Excellency  Henry  M.  Hoyt,  ex-officio  Chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  Second  Oeological 
Survey  of  Pennsylvania : 

Sir  : I liave  the  honor  to  transmit  to  you  the  Report  of 
Progress  of  the  Geological  Survey  made  by  Mr.  H.  Martyn 
Chance  in  Clinton  county,  with  a carefully  colored  map  of 
the  county  on  the  best  geographical  basis  at  our  command. 

This  map  of  course  possesses  no  more  scientific  value,  as 
far  as  regards  the  true  delineation  of  its  land  lines,  roads, 
and  water  courses,  than  the  maps  of  other  counties  in  the 
State.  In  fact,  the  wild  and  mountainous  nature  of  two 
thirds  of  its  area,  and  the  slight  inducements  presented  to 
owners  of  large  tracts  on  which  no  useful  minerals  are  known 
to  exist,  to  have  them  accurately  surveyed,  in  the  absence 
of  any  regular  topographical  survey  of  Pennsylvania  at 
large,  makes  the  geographical  basis  of  this  map  of  even  less 
value  than  usual,  although  it  will  compare  favorably  with 
the  maps  of  the  adjoining  counties  of  Centre,  Potter  and 
Lycoming,  suffering  under  similar  disabilities. 

But  as  a geological  map  it  has  a high  value,  both  practical 
and  scientific,  for  it  shows,  within  very  moderate  limits  of 
error,  the  areas  of  the  formations,  the  patches  of  coal  land 
surface,  the  outcrop  belt  of  the  fossil  iron  ore,  and  the  out- 
spread of  the  Mttany  valley  limestone.  But  it  does  not 
show  the  localities  of  brown  hematite  ore  banks  in  that  val- 
ley. For  this  purpose  a special  map  must  be  prepared,  in 
the  further  progress  of  the  Survey,  in  connection  with  the 
more  numerous  ore  deposits  of  Centre  county,  the  detailed 
survey  of  which  has  not  yet  been  undertaken. 

The  second  part  of  this  report  is  devoted  to  a special  sur- 
vey of  the  walls  of  the  great  canon  of  the  West  Branch 

( v G4.) 


vi  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


above  Lock  Haven,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a series  of 
comparative  sections  (supplemented  downwards,  in  some 
cases,  by  the  records  of  oil  well  trial  borings)  which  would 
be  likely  to  settle  some  open  questions  in  our  geology  ; es- 
pecially the  rate  of  thinning  of  our  Catskill,  Pocono  and 
Maucli  Chunk  formations  northwestward  and  westward ; 
and  the  relations  of  their  outcropping  strata  at  the  front  of 
the  Allegheny  mountain,  where  we  know  them  best,  with 
their  correlative  strata  bored  through  in  the  Oil  regions  and 
exposed  at  the  surface  again  in  Western  New  York  and 
Northern  Ohio. 

The  results  have  been  in  the  main  satisfactory  ; and  a 
general  harmony  of  the  formations  of  Middle  and  of  West- 
ern Pennsylvania  has  been  obtained  ; not  entirely  divested 
of  doubtful  features  indeed,  but  narrowing  very  much  the 
limits  of  outstanding  error  ; proving  the  rapid  thinning  of 
the  great  Catskill  and  Mauch  Chunk  red  formations  of 
Middle  Pennsylvania  westward  as  we  approach  the  Oil  Re- 
gions, and  rendering  it  almost  certain  that  other  red  strata 
come  in  locally  at  other  horizons,  by  which  the  various 
“reds”  of  the  Oil  Well  records  are  explained. 

Geologists  must  be  referred  for  a more  precise  explana- 
tion of  the  situation  to  the  text  and  illustrations  of  the  re- 
port ; especially  to  the  large  sheet  of  serial  sections  upon 
which  most  of  the  data  are  portrayed. 

It  was  my  intention  to  have  for  publication  with  this  re- 
port a contoured  map  of  the  Susquehanna  West  Branch 
valley  from  St.  Mary’s  down  to  Lock  Haven  ; but  it  was 
impossible  to  detail  any  part  of  the  corps  for  so  serious  an 
undertaking  ; nor  would  the  appropriation  permit  the  em- 
ployment of  an  extra  field  party  for  that  purpose.  There- 
fore it  had  to  be  postponed.  The  contoured  map  of  the 
Renovo  mountain,  however,  furnishes  a good  specimen  of 
what  such  a map  would  be  along  its  whole  line  ; especially 
wherever  the  mountain  wall  is  capped  by  the  Conglomerate 
measures.  Such  a map  should  run  far  enough  up  the  side 
valleys,  vales  and  ravines  to  show  their  different  character, 
and  should  extend  back  along  the  central  lines  of  the  syn- 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMISSION. 


G4.  vii 


clinals  which  hold  any  coal  measures.  This  is  certainly  a 
proper  part  of  the  future  work  of  the  Survey. 

Particular  attention  has  been  bestowed  upon  the  tire  clays 
of  the  district. 

Yours  respectfully, 

J.  P.  Lesley. 


Philadelphia,  August  18.  1880. 
Prof.  J.  P.  Lesley,  State  Geologist: 

Dear  Sir  : I herewith  present  for  your  approval  my  re- 
port on  the  detailed  geology  of  Clinton  county,  to  which 
is  appended  a survey  of  the  subcarboniferous  rocks  from 
Lock  Haven  westward  to  the  Butler,  Clarion  and  Venango 
oil-belts. 

Yearly  all  the  material  for  these  rejiorts  was  obtained  in 
1878,  but  it  was  not  possible  to  systematize  this  until  my 
survey  of  Clarion  county  (since  published)  was  completed 
in  1879. 

My  thanks  are  due  to  many  resident  gentlemen  of  the 
district  for  courtesies  tendered  the  Survey  ; among  others 
I would  especially  mention  Messrs.  Merriman  and  Munson 
of  Williamsport,  Col.  Yoyes  of  Westport,  Mr.  Yicholas 
Maun  of  Reavilleton,  and  Mr.  Jas.  Davids  of  Lock  Haven. 

I remain,  dear  sir, 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

H.  Martyn  Chance. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

Geology  of  Clinton  county. 

Page. 

Chapter  1.  Location,  area  and  topography,  ....  1 

Railroad  levels,  4 

Terraces  classified  and  described, 5 

Drainage, 8 

Soil, 9 

Ores  of  Formations  XI,  X,  VIII,  VII,  II, 11 

Chapter  2.  Systematic  geology. 

Column  of  the  Palaeozoic  formations, 18 

Lower  Productive  Coal  Measures, 19 

Coal  measure  ores, 20 

Pot^sville  Conglomerate,  No.  XII, 20 

Mauch  Chunk  red  shale,  No.  XI, 20 

PocoYlo  sandstone,  No.  X, 22 

CatsMll  red  rocks,  No.  IX, 22 

Chemung,  Portage,  Genessee,  Hamilton,  Marcellus,  VIII,  22 

Oriskauy  sandstone,  No.  VII, 22 

Lower  Ilelderberg,  Clinton,  Medina,  Oneida,  Hudson 

River  and  Utica,  Nos.  VII,  VI,  V,  IV,  and  III,  ...  23 
Siluro-Cambrian  limestone,  No.  II, 24 

Chapters.  Structural  Geology. 

Introduction, 25 

Anticlinals  in  the  bituminous  coal  field, 26 

Tangascoota^k  basin, 27 

Eagleton  or  Furney’s  run  anticlinal, 27 

Wetham  basiip 28 

Hyner  anticlinal, 28 


(ix  G.U) 


x G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Page. 

Karthaus-Renovo  basin,  29 

The  First  axis, 29 

Correlation  of  anticlinals, 32 

Chapter  Ip.  Geology  of  the  Townships. 

Greene  Township,  35 

Logan  Township, 36 

Crawford  Township,  JSTippenose  Valley,  etc., 38 

Lamar  Township, 40 

Porter  Township,  Nittany  Valley,  etc.,  40 

Analysis  of  ore  from  Salona, 42 

Wayne  Township, 42 

Allison  Township, 44 

Bald  Eagle  Township,  47 

Reavilleton,  New  York  C.  Co’s,  mines, 49 

Abraham  Best  bank  ; West  Branch  C.  Co’s  mines,  . 50 
Rock  Cabin  mines  ; Peacock  mine  ; Eagleton  mines,  50 

Beach  Creek  Township, 51 

Pine  Creek  Township,  52 

Dunstable  Township, 54 

Woodward  Township,  Queen’s  Run  mines,  etc.,  ...  54 

Gallagher  Township, 56 

Colebrook  Township  ; Farrandsville  Furnace,  ....  57 

Grugan  Township, 59 

Chapman  Township  ; Hyner  anticlinal,  60 

Renovo  basin  ; Glacial  markings, 60 

Noyes  Township, 61 

Karthaus  Coal  Company’s  mines, 62 

Westport  coal  lands  ; analysis  ; coke, 63 

Westport  section,  65 

Leidy  Township  ; Ox  Bow  well, 66 

West  Keating  Township  ; First  axis,  68 

Renovo  basin  and  coal  mine, 68 

Keating  mines, 70 

Chapter  3.  Renovo  Coal  Basin,  by  C.  A.  Ashburner,  73 
Renovo  Section  ; coal  analysis,  etc. ......  . . 74 

Pottsville  Conglomerate  section, 76 

Karthaus  Coal  & Lumber  Co.’s  well  section, 78 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  G4.  xi 

Part  II. 

Special  Survey  of  the  Sub-carboniferous  Rod's  along  the 
Susquehanna  River. 

Tage. 

Chapter  1.  Introduction, 79 

Mauch  Chunk  and  Catskill  rocks  diminish  westward,  . 81 

Chapter  <2.  Stratigraphical  description  of  XII,  XI,  etc.,  83 

Thicknesses  of  the  formations  compared,  81 

The  red  rocks  vary  in  color, 85 

The  oil  groups  discussed, 86 

Resume  of  facts, 88 

Comparative  table  of  names  ; synonomy, 89 

Tabular  measurements, 90 

Chapter  3.  Pottsville  Conglomerate  No.  XII,  ...  91 

On  Queen’ s run  ; at  Farrandsville, 92 

At  Glen  Union  ; on  Rattlesnake  run,  93 

From  Hyner  to  Renovo  ; at  Keating,  *93 

At  Sinnemahoning  ; Sterling  ; Cameron, 93 

From  Cameron  to  Emporium  ; Rathbun  ; St.  Mary's,  . 94 
In  McKean  county  ; at  Kinzua, 94 

Chapter  4.  Mauch  Chunk  red  shale  No.  XI,  ....  95 

Chapter  5.  Pocono  Sandstone,  No.  X, 97 

Upper  or  gray  Pocono  ; table  of  thicknesses 98 

Lower  or  red  Pocono, 99 

Table  of  color  percentages, 99 

Table  of  thicknesses, 101 

Chapter  6.  Catskill  red  sandstone  No.  IX,  ....  101 

Ritchie  section, 102 

Argument  for  the  disappearance  of  No.  IX,  westward,  103 

Chapter  7.  Chemung  and  Portage  No.  VIII,  . . . 105 
Outcrops  toward  Lake  Erie, 105 

Chapter  8.  Theory  of  the  Sub-carboniferous  deposits,  107 

Catskill  basin  theoretically  limited, 108 

Oil-sand  shore, 109 

Red  beds, Ill 

Pocono  red  bands  not  Catskill  argued, 112 


xii  G4. 


REPORT  OP  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Page. 

Chapter  9.  Atlas  sheet  of  vertical  sections  described,  117 
Chapter  10.  Vertical  sections  in  series  and  in  detail,  121 

1.  Altoona  section,  121 

2.  Lock  Haven  long  section, 124 

3.  Farrandsville  Switch-Back  section, 129 

4.  Furney’ s run  section, .130 

5.  Wetham  section, . 130 

6.  Hyner  section, 131 

7.  Keating  section,  134 

8.  Sinnemahoning  section,  . . . 135 

9.  Sterling  section,  136 

10.  Cameron  section, 137 

11.  Emporium  section, 138 

12.  Taylor  & Eakin,  Emporium  well 140 

13.  Emporium  well  section, 140 

14.  Rathbun  section, 141 

15. ^  Ridgway  section  and  Dickenson  well, 142 

16.  Wilcox  well  No.  3 section, 143 

17.  Marienville  section,  Hunt  & Fowler  well,  No.  3,  . 146 

18.  Kinzua  or  Great  Bend  section, 147 

19.  Snydersburg  well  section  in  Clarion  county,  . . . 149 

20.  Sligo  well  section  in  Clarion  county, 149 

21.  John  Smith  well  section  in  Butler  county,  ....  150 

22.  Newcastle  well  section  in  Lawrence  county,  . . .151 

Chapter  11.  Queen’s  Run  coal  basin,  by  F.  Platt,  . 153 

Coal  beds,  with  analysis, 156, 159 

Firebrick  beds  and  analysis, 156-164 

Chapter  12.  Tangascootac  coal  basin  in  Centre  and 

Clinton  counties,  by  Franklin  Platt, 165 

Tangascootac  section  of  the  beds  and  analysis,  . . . .166 
Description,  by  James  T.  Hodge,  in  1839,  ......  169 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Plate  I. 
Plate  II. 
Plate  III. 

Plate  IV. 
Plate  Y. 
Plate  YI. 
Plate  YII. 
Plate  YIII 

Plate  IX. 


Geological  map  of  Clinton  county  (in  pocket). 
Sandstone  Terraces  (Figs.  1,  2,  3,  and  4),  p.  6 
Section  through  Nittany,  Nippenose,  and  Mus- 

qnito  valleys,  page 26 

Section  across  Nittany  and  Sugar  valleys,  p.  26 
Section  along  Pine  creek  (Fig.  6),  page  . . 53 
Section  from  Queen’ s run  to  Sugar  valley,  p.  21 
Map  of  the  Renovo  coal  tract  (in  pocket). 
Diagram  showing  deposition  of  Catskill  and 
Pocono  Red  bands,  page  ....  . . 115 

Vertical  sections  from  the  Allegheny  mountains 
to  Ohio  (in  pocket). 


Cuts  in  Text. 

Page. 

Fig.  5.  Superficial  crimple  at  Baird’s  quarry,  ....  46 

Fig.  7.  Fault  in  limestone  near  Lockport, 54 

Fig.  8.  Westport  coal  bed,  average  measurement,  . . 63 

Fig.  9.  Westport  coal  bed,  mouth  of  entry, 63 

Fig.  10.  Westport  coal  bed,  face  of  cross-heading,  . . 63 

Fig.  11.  Coal  Measure  section  at  Westport, 65 

Fig.  12.  Coal  Measure  section  in  West  Keating  twp.,  . 68 

Fig.  13.  Showden  coal  bank, . 69 

Fig.  14.  Section  at  Sliowden’ s,  69 

Fig.  15.  Rohen’s  coal  bank, 70 

Fig.  16.  Top  bed  at  Rohen’s, 71 

Fig.  17.  New  Garden  coal  bank, 71 

Fig.  18.  Map  showing  Catskill  basin, 108 

Fig.  19.  Farrandsville  Coal  section, 154 

Fig.  20.  Lick  Run  section,  154 

Fig.  21.  Farrandsville  Lower  coal  (a), 156 

( xiii  G4.  ) 


xiv  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


Page. 

Fig.  22.  Farrandsville  Lower  coal  (5), 156 

Fig.  23.  Farrandsville  Upper  coal, 157 

Fig.  24.  Queen’s  Run  section, 159 

Fig.  25.  Queen’s  Run  bank,  No.  1, . . 159 

Fig.  26.  Rock  Cabin  section, 166 

Fig.  27.  Rock  Cabin  Upper  coal,  . 167 

Fig.  28.  Tangascootack  section, 171 


SECOND  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA: 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS. 


ON  THE 

GEOLOGY 

OF 

CLINTON  COUNTY. 


Chapter  I. 

Location , Area , Topography , Terraces , Drainage , 

Or  65. 

§ 1.  Clinton  county  is  located  in  the  northern  central  por- 
tion of  the  State,  lying  south  from  Potter,  and  southwest 
of  Lycoming  county,  with  Cameron  and  Clearfield  on  its 
western  side,  and  Centre  along  its  southern  border.  It  for- 
merly extended  much  farther  northwest ; but  the  act  cre- 
ating Cameron  county  truncated  that  corner,  cutting  off 
nearly  all  of  Grove  township  and  the  area  northwest  of 
Grove. 

The  triangular  piece  of  that  township  still  left  to  Clinton, 
has  been  united  to  Keating  township  ; but  as  the  latter  has 
been  sub-divided  into  East  and  West  Keating,  it  now  forms 
part  of  East  Keating. 

All  the  old  county  maps  show  Chapman  township  as  a 
large  L shaped  tract  of  about  150  square  miles,  but  it  is  no 


2 G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


longer  so  large,  having  been  split  into  two,  which  are  known 
by  the  names  Chapman  and  Noyes. 

§2.  Area. — The  area  of  the  county,  according  to  the 
county  maps, — from  which  the  accompanying  map  has  been 
prepared, — is  betwen  850  and  880  square  miles,  but  other 
sources  of  information  make  it  probable  that  this  is  much 
too  small,  and  that  the  true  area  is  about  900  square  miles, 
possibly  even  slightly  in  excess  of  that  figure. 

Owing  to  the  comparative  poverty  of  the  soil  on  the  Al- 
legheny plateau,  the  population  north  of  the  Allegheny 
mountains  is  quite  sparse ; but  the  valleys  south  of  the 
mountains  are  quite  fertile  and  support  a much  larger  num- 
ber per  square  mile. 


Topography. 

§ 3.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  county  the  outcrops  of 
the  Medina  and  Oneida  sandstones  produce  several  sharp 
rugged  roughly  parallel  mountain  ridges,  between  which 
three  fertile  limestone  valleys  nestle.  These  are  all  anti- 
clinal valleys,  having  a floor  of  Lower  Silurian  limestone, 
which  has  been  brought  up  to  daylight  only  upon  the  arches 
of  the  anticlinals. 

Sugar  valley,  the  most  southerly  of  these,  lies  just  north 
from  Centre  county.  It  is  surrounded  everywhere  by  the 
mountainous  outcrop  of  No.  IV.  Big  Fishing  creek  heads 
in  this  valley  and  has  its  outlet  into  the  Nittany  valley 
through  a sharp  gap  in  Nittany  mountain. 

Nittany  mountain  is  a double  or  synclinal  mountain, 
lying  between  Sugar  and  Nittany  valleys.  The  minor  red 
shale  valley  of  No.  V,  (Clinton  red  shale,)  known  as  the 
valley  of  Cherry  run,  is  situated  between  the  two  crests  of 
this  mountain. 

The  Nittany  mountain  synclinal  trough  flattens  out  to 
the  east  ; and  its  complementary  anticlinal — that  of  Nit- 
tany valley — also  becomes  more  gentle,  arching  over  into 
the  Bald  Eagle  or  Muncy  mountain,  and  cutting  off  the  to- 
pographical connection  between  Nittany  and  Nippenose 
valleys.  The  latter  is,  geologically,  a mere  continuation  of 
the  former  beyond  this  mountainous  arch. 


TOPOGRAPHY. 


G4.  3 


Bald  Eagle  mountain  crosses  the  county  from  west  to 
east  in  a nearly  straight  line,  bearing  about  N.  65°  E.  It  is 
formed  by  the  northwest  dipping  sandstones  of  No.  IV, 
which  here  are  seen  for  the  last  time  in  Pennsylvania,  not 
re-appearing  until  brought  up  to  daylight  in  New  York  and 
Ohio.  The  dip  is  usually  quite  steep,  nearly  always  ex- 
ceeding 40  degrees. 

Bald  Eagle  valley  lies  north  of  Bald  Eagle  mountain, 
and  stretches  northward  to  the  foot-hills  of  the  Allegheny 
mountains,  a distance  of  about  two  and  a half  or  three  miles, 
including  the  outcrops  of  the  Lower  Helderberg  limestones, 
(No.  VI,)  the  Oriskany  sandstone  and  lime  shales,  (No. 
VII,)  and  the  Upper  Helderberg,  Marcellus  and  Hamilton 
groups  ; gradually  rising  over  higher  and  higher  hills  until 
the  basset  edges  of  the  Catskill  or  Old  Red  sandstone  (No. 
IX)  is  reached. 

The  lower  part  of  the  valley  is  remarkable  for  its  flatness. 
From  Mill  Hall  gap  eastward  to  Pine  creek  this  feature  is 
especially  noticeable.  The  flats  in  some  places  are  over  a 
mile  broad,  being  much  broader  at  Pine  creek  than  at  Lock 
Haven  or  Mill  Hall  gap.  They  have  probably  resulted 
from  the  rapid  erosion  of  the  easily  disintegrated  limestones 
and  shales  of  No.  VI,  which  here  present  a very  broad 
outcrop  or  several  successive  of  outcrops  due  to  the  ex- 
istence of  several  minor  folds  traversing  them  from  west  to 
east. 

The  escarpment  of  the  Allegheny  mountains  presents  a 
rather  irregular  face,  running  in  a general  direction  approx- 
imately parallel  to  Bald  Eagle  mountain.  It  is  gaped, 
within  the  county  limits,  by  the  valley  of  Beech  creek  on 
the  west,  and  of  Pine  creek  on  the  east,  with  the  great  val- 
ley of  the  Susquehanna  near  its  center.  Though  its  south- 
ern slopes  are  quite  steep,  and  usually  quite  rugged,  the 
coal  industry  of  the  Tangascootock  and  Queen’s  run  has 
led  to  the  building  of  several  roads  directly  over  it  from 
Bald  Eagle  valley,  and  though  most  of  these  have  fallen 
into  disuse,  several  of  them  are  still  passable. 

There  is  but  little  land  on  the  Allegheny  plateau  that  can 
be  profitably  farmed.  The  sandy  summits  termed  “Bar- 


4G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


rens”  in  many  localities  occupy  all  the  higher  lands,  and 
beneath  them  the  ground  is  too  stony  for  farming.  They 
are  formed  by  the  sandrocks  of  the  Conglomerate  Series 
(No.  XII)  when  its  members  are  friable,  but  when  these 
sandrocks  are  hard,  with  a cement  not  readily  soluble,  hard, 
rough,  stony  land  takes  the  place  of  the  “ Barrens.” 

The  few  isolated  patches  of  the  Coal  measures  still  left 
uneroded  in  the  summits,  sometimes — as  in  West  Keat- 
ing— produce  very  fair  farming  land,  but  this  soil  is  apt  to 
be  cold  and  stiff. 

The  Pocono  sandstones  (No.  X)  form  all  the  side  slopes, 
both  of  the  large  and  small  valleys.  These  hillsides  are 
always  very  rough,  and  are  occasionally  ribbed  by  lines  of 
vertical  and  overhanging  cliffs  which  mark  the  outcrops  of 
the  harder  layers  of  sandstone. 

In  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county  the  Lower  or  Bed 
Pocono  (No.  X)  forms  the  side-liills  bordering  the  bottom 
lands,  and  furnishes  a very  fair  red  shale  soil,  which,  though 
not  well  adapted  to  truck  farming,  yields  fair  crops  of  the 
more  hardy  cereals. . 

Elevations  of  the  mountain  crests  in  Clinton  county  can- 
not be  given,  but  a few  approximate  barometric  determin- 
ations will  be  found  in  the  township  geology.  The  follow- 
ing railroad  elevations  are  reproduced  from  Report  N. 


Philadelphia  and  Erie  Railroad  Levels. 


Miles. 

Station. 

Feet  above 
ocean. 

0 

Sun  bury, 

444 

13 

Milton, 

473 

37 

Williamsport, 

527 

52 

Jersey  Shore, 

593 

57 

Pine," 

565 

60 

Wayne, . 

572 

65 

Lock  Haven, 

556 

69 

Queen’s  Run, 

584 

70 

Farrandsville, 

583 

75 

Furney, 

594 

78 

Glen  Union, 

605 

80 

Wetham, 

619 

83 

Ritchie, 

632 

86 

Hyner, 

644 

LEVELS. 


G4.  5 


89 

North  Point, 

659 

92 

Renovo, 

Westport 

672 

98 

691 

102 

Cook’s  Run, 

709 

105 

Keating, 

718 

107 

Wistar,  

739 

110 

Round  Island, 

755 

114 

Grove, 

Sinnemahoning, • • 

772 

117 

794 

120 

Driftwood, 

816 

129 

Sterling, 

914 

133 

Cameron, 

964 

139 

Emporium,  

1033 

150 

Rath  bun,  ....  

1317 

155 

West  Creek  Summit 

1696 

160 

St.  Mary’s, 

1667 

170 

Ridgway, 

1393 

184 

Wilcox, 

1527 

193 

Kane, 

2014 

222 

Warren, 

1186 

251 

Corry,  

1431 

288 

Erie  Depot,  

584 

Lake  Erie  water-level,  

573 

Terraces. 

§ 4.  The  sandrocks  of  No.  XII  always  make  distinct  ter- 
races or  benches  near  the  summits,  and  it  is  often  by  means 
of  these  alone  that  their  position  can  be  determined.  In 
fact,  not  only  have  they  been  used  to  trace  these  sandrocks 
of  the  Conglomerate,  but  they  have  been  relied  upon  to 
greater  or  lesser  extent  by  all  geologists  who  have  worked 
in  western  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  and  New  York,  for  tracing 
and  determining  the  horizon  of  any  sandrock  or  conglom- 
erate, over  areas  where  the  erosion  has  not  been  sharp 
enough  to  afford  actually  exposed  escarpments. 

In  employing  this  feature  for  such  a purpose,  it  is  always 
of  the  utmost  importance  to  understand  the  nature  of  sand- 
rock  terraces,  and  be  able  to  determine  to  which  class  a 
terrace  should  be  referred,  as  an  error  made  through  igno- 
rance of  terrace  topography  involves  an  error  amounting 
to  the  thickness  of  the  stratum,  for  in  some  terraces  the 
bench  is  on  top  the  sandrock,  whereas  in  others  it  is  be- 
neath the  base  of  the  rock. 

1st.  Terraces  of  the  First  Class , or  those  in  which  the 
top  of  the  sandrock  forms  the  flat  or  bench  (Pig.  1)  re- 
sult only  when  the  sandstone  or  conglomerate  is  com- 
pact, and  has  a cementing  material  not  readily  soluble,  or 


TERRACES. 


G4.  7 


with  a more  soluble  cement  containing  a considerable 
quantity  of  iron,  which  on  the  exposed  surface,  weathers 
into  an  extremely  hard  and  tenacious  cement.  In  a ter- 
race of  this  kind  the  surface  overlying  the  sandrock  is  often 
swampy,  and  springs  emerging  at  the  top  line  of  the  rock 
trickle  down  over  its  escarpment,  which  usually  shows 
more  or  less  bare  rock  ; but  in  some  cases  the  rock  is  full 
of  fissures,  letting  all  the  drainage  down  to  its  base.  As 
the  water  will  nearly  always  cut  its  way  a short  distance 
into  the  underlying  shale  or  slate,  the  springs  will  then 
generally  issue  from  shale  or  slate  a few  feet  below  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sandrock.  The  slope  below  the  escarpment  is 
always — except  where  cleared  by  glacial  action — covered 
with  broken  blocks  of  sandrock  or  conglomerate. 

Rock  Cities  belong  to  terraces  of  this  class  ; for  any  ter- 
race presenting  these  features  becomes  a Rock  City  when 
its  overlying  slate  or  shale  is  removed.  This  change  is  il- 
lustrated by  figures  1 and  2,  Plate  II. 

%d.  Terraces  of  the  Second  Class , or  those  in  which  the 
shales  or  slates  underlying  the  sandrock  or  conglomerate 
form  the  bench , always  occur  when  the  rock  is  friable,  with 
but  little  or  an  easily  soluble  cement,  or  a cement  with  but 
slight  adhesive  power.  In  terraces  of  this  class  the  sand- 
rock is  eroded  more  rapidly  than  the  underlying  rocks , 
its  face  receding  and  leaving  a bench  in  front  of  it.  The 
soil  on  the  bench  is  composed  largely  of  sand  (or  pebbles) 
from  the  disintegration  of  the  rock,  is  generally  at  short 
intervals  quite  swampy,  and  gives  rise  to  a growth  of  swamp 
grass  and  similar  vegetations. 

Springs  always  issue  at  the  foot  of  the  sandrock  escarp- 
ment or  nearly  on  a level  with  the  bench  and  trickling 
across  it  produce  the  swamps  already  described. 

u Barrens  ” are  but  a variety  of  this  class  of  terrace,  for 
wherever  the  overlying  strata  are  removed,  and  the  sand- 
stone forms  the  summit,  sandy  land  colloquially  termed 
“ Barrens  ” always  results.  This  change  is  illustrated  by 
figures  3 and  4,  Plate  II. 

Coal  and  Limestone  terraces  may  both  be  referred  to 
this  class,  but  the  latter  sometimes  belong  to  the  first  class 


8 G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


and  occasionally  present  a combination  of  the  features  of 
both  classes. 

The  terrace  formed  by  a bed  of  sandstone  in  one  locality 
does  not  always  belong  to  the  same  class  with  that  made 
by  the  same  rock  in  another  place  ; for  the  character  of  the 
terrace  is  directly  dependent  upon  the  lithology  of  the 
stratum,  and  the  latter  may  vary  indefinitely.  This  change 
may  sometimes  be  noticed  in  the  opposite  side  hills  of  a 
river  valley.  In  establishing  the  elevation  of  a sandrock 
by  its  terrace,  it  is  therefore  of  prime  importance  to  first 
determine  whether  the  bench  represents  the  top  or  bottom 
of  the  escarpment-forming  stratum. 

Drainage. 

% 5.  As  there  is  very  little  sub-soil  in  the  country  north- 
of  the  Allegheny  escarpment,  and  as  the  hillsides  are  gen- 
erally quite  steep,  most  of  the  rainfall  quickly  finds  its  way 
into  the  small  mountain  streams,  often  causing  in  a few 
hours  a rise  of  several  feet  from  a rainfall  that  would  pro- 
duce but  a small  rise  in  streams  flowing  through  a country 
covered  with  a deeper  substratum  of  soil. 

This  phenomenon  has  been  of  great  service  to  the  lum- 
bermen, enabling  them  to  transport  logs  and  timber  down 
very  small  streams.  To  facilitate  this  operation  “ splash- 
dams ” are  built  across  the  stream-bed  to  hold  the  water 
back  until  a sufficient  quantity  has  accumulated,  when  it  is 
suddenly  let  out,  carrying  with  it  hundreds  of  logs  that 
have  previously  been  piled  lengthwise  in  the  stream-bed 
below  the  dam. 

The  spring  and  autumn  freshets  in  the  Susquehanna 
river  are  too  well  known  to  need  any  description.  Though 
often  very  violent,  they  are — as  in  all  mountain  rivers, — of 
short  duration. 

The  principal  streams  north  of  the  Allegheny  mountains 
are  Queen’s  run,  Lick  run,  Tangascootack  creek,  Big  run, 
Backer’s  run,  Hyner’srun,  Young womanstown  creek,  Pad- 
dy’s run,  Drury  run,  Kettle  creek,  Cook’s  run,  and  the 
Sinnemahoning  river. 

All  the  drainage  of  the  county  empties  into  the  West 


DRAINAGE. 


G4.  9 


Branch  of  the  Susquehanna  river,  or  as'  it  is  there  called, 
“the  Susquehanna.” 

The  only  dividing  ridge  of  any  importance  is  the  divide 
between  the  drainage  into  Pine  creek  on  the  east  (Lycom- 
ing county)  and  the  Susquehanna  on  the  west.  The  eastern 
boundary  line  of  the  county  runs  along  this  ridge,  follow- 
ing the  course  of  the  old  Coudersport  and  Jersey  Shore 
turnpike.  This  pike,  now  for  many  years  abandoned  as  a 
public  highway,  has  lately  been  utilized  as  a location  for  the 
Tidewater  Pipe  Line,  running  from  the  Bradford  oil  field, 
at  Eldred,  to  Williamsport. 

A dividing  ridge  of  minor  importance,  though  the  high- 
est in  the  county,  runs  from  Hyner,  southwestwardly,  to- 
wards Karthaus.  It  marks  the  position  of  the  Hyner  anti- 
clinal axis.  Its  crest  is  often  1500'— |—  above  river  level. 

The  drainage  system  south  of  the  Allegheny  mountains 
is  rather  complex.  Bald  Eagle  valley  is  drained  by  Bald 
Eagle  creek  and  the  Susquehanna,  both  of  which  flow  over 
the  eroded  edges  of  the  limestones  of  No.  VI. 

Sugar  and  Nittany  valleys  are  drained  by  Fishing  creek, 
which,  rising  at  the  eastern  end  of  Sugar  valley,  flows  west- 
wardly  to  a sharp  deeply  cut  gap,  through  which  it  passes 
into  Nittany  valley  from  whence  it  finds  its  exit  at  Mill 
Hall  Gap. 

The  stream  at  W ayne  gathers  its  waters  exclusively  from 
the  mountains  between  Nittany  and  Nippenose  valleys. 

The  drainage  of  Nippenose  valley  all  passes  out  through 
Nippenose  Gap. 

Soil. 

§ 6.  The  arable  soil  of  the  county  may  be  conveniently 
divided  into  four  classes. 

1st.  The  limestone  and  slate  lands  of  Nittany,  Sugar, 
Nippenose  and  Bald  Eagle  valleys  on  which  cereals  do  ex- 
cellently well  and  which  also  make  very  good  grazing  land. 

%d.  The  Red.  Shale  lands  of  Bald  Eagle  valley  formed  by 
the  Bed  Catskill  ; and  those  of  the  northwestern  part  of 
the  county,  made  by  the  Bed  Pocono  strata.  Wheat  and 


10  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


corn  do  well  on  these  lands  ; and  where  they  are  rather 
stony  buckwheat  can  be  raised. 

3d.  The  high  lands  of  the  Conglomerate  measures  and 
the  Lower  Productive  coal  measures.  Only  a compara- 
tively limited  area  of  these  lands  is  profitably  arable. 

The  relative  areas  of  these  different  soils  can  be  readily 
seen  by  examining  the  geological  map  on  which  the  blue 
color  represents  limestone,  and  the  dark  tint  of  Payne’s 
grey  shows  the  area  of  the  Coal  measures. 

Jfh.  The  Bottom  lands  along  all  the  larger  water  courses. 
These  are  too  well  known  to  need  any  encomiastic  descrip- 
tion. Their  excellency  along  Bald  Eagle  creek  is  partly 
due  to  the  presence  of  the  Upper  Silurian  limestones,  and 
the  calcareous  strata  at  the  base  of  the  M’arcellus  slates 
which  form  a series  of  low  foot-hills  on  the  north  side  of 
the  fiats. 

All  of  the  county  not  embraced  under  any  of  the  fore- 
going divisions  is  worthless  for  agricultural  purposes,  being 
too  stony  or  precipitous  for  cultivation.  Under  this  head 
come  the  mountain  ranges  in  the  southern  part  of  the  coun- 
ty, formed  by  the  Medina  and  Oneida  sandstones  (No.  IV) 
and  all  the  steep  rocky  slopes  and  side  hills  of  the  Alle- 
gheny mountains  plateau,  formed  by  the  outcrops  of  the 
Pocono  sandstone  No.  X. 

The  great  industry  of  the  county  has  been  and  still  is 
the  lumber  trade  ; especially  the  manufacture  of  pine  lum- 
ber. Though  the  output  in  some  late  years  from  this  region 
has  been  very  large,  there  is  comparatively  little  good  pine 
timber  now  standing.  Probably  much  more  than  three- 
fourths  of  it  has  already  been  cut,  and  that  now  remaining 
is  not  equal  in  quality  to  that  which  has  already  been  mar- 
keted. 

On  the  north  branch  of  the  Tangascootack,  and  north- 
ward to  the  river  at  West  Keating  township,  there  still  re- 
main, in  isolated  groves,  some  good  sticks,  and  in  West 
Keating  township  some  excellent  groves  have  been  pre- 
served, but  these  are  now  being  taken  to  market,  and 
shortly  little  will  be  left. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  river  in  N oyes,  Chapman,  and 


ORES. 


G4.  11 


Leidy  townships  the  good  timber  has  been  pretty  thor- 
oughly cleared  out.  This  is  probably  owing  to  the  facili- 
ties afforded  for  transportation,  by  the  waters  of  Kettle 
creek,  Paddy’s  run,  and  Youngwomanstown  creek.  A few 
good  pine  sticks  are  still  to  be  seen  in  these  townships,  and 
will  probably  remain  standing  until  an  advanced  price  in 
lumber  tempts  the  owners  to  part  with  them.  Of  timber 
other  than  pine  there  is  an  abundance,  but  with  the  excep- 
tion of  hemlock  and  some  oak  it  is  generally  rather  too 
small  to  cut. 

Near  Westport  and  on  Cook’s  run  some  excellent  pine, 
hemlock  and  oak  lands  yet  remain  in  a comparatively  un- 
touched state,  but  their  area  is  not  large.  They  are  owned 
by  Williamsport  companies. 

Ores. 

§ 7.  The  only  ore  ever  discovered  north  of  Bald  Eagle 
mountain  is  iron  ore.  Crystals  of  galena  have  sometimes 
been  met  with,  and  fragments  of  copper  are  said  to  have 
been  found,  but  these  were  either  transported  thither  in 
the  drift  or  owe  their  presence  to  the  Indians  or  white  men. 
Cubes  of  galena,  it  is  true,  have  been  found  in  the  Coal 
measures,  but  they  are  always  isolated,  and  cannot  be 
classed  as  an  ore.  Their  origin  has  never  been  satisfac- 
torally  explained.  Though  traces  of  copper  ore — malach  ite 
and  crysocolla  — have  frequently  been  found  in  the  Red 
rocks  of  No.  IX  in  Pennsylvania,  native  copper  is  not 
found  in  rocks  of  this  age. 

Ore  of  XI  (X). 

At  Farrandsville  two  ore  beds  have  been  opened,  but  they 
are  not  of  very  good  quality,  and  could  not  be  profitably 
worked  beyond  “ striking  distance.”  These  beds  have,  by 
some,  been  referred  to  the  Mauch  Chunk  red  shale,  Xo. 
XI,  but  I have  classed  them  in  the  Pocono,  placing  the 
lower  limit  of  Xo.  XI  some  distance  above  them.  It  is 
true  that  these  beds  occur  with  beds  of  red  shale,  but  the 
latter  are  quite  thin,  and  underlie  sandstones  of  the  true 
Pocono  type,  and  as  thin  bands  of  red  shale  may  occur  at 


12  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


any  horizon  in  the  Pocono,  it  seems  more  consistent  to  place 
them  in  that  formation.  If  they  are  the  equivalents  of  the 
ore  of  No.  XI  in  the  southwest,  they  should  be  found  im- 
mediately beneath  the  conglomerate ; — near  the  top  of  the 
Umbral  (XI)  and  not  three  hundred  feet  beneath  it. 

Ores  of  VIII  and  VII 

Neither  the  Oris/cany  ores  nor  the  Marcellus  ore  bed 
has  yet  been  found. 

Ores  of  V. 

§ 8.  At  Mill  Hall  Gap  two  ores  of  the  Clinton  red  shale 
(No.  V)  have  been  opened  and  worked  by  the  Mill  Hall 
Furnace  Company  : the  fossil  ore  and  the  Mock  ore.  The 
first  of  these  was  from  10"  to  V thick,  and  was  used  more 
largely  than  the  block  ore,  which,  however,  is  somewhat 
thicker,  but  quite  siliceous.  Frequent  attempts  have  been 
made  to  discover  the  fossil  ore  between  Mill  Hall  Gap  and 
Jersey  Shore,  but  the  bed  is  either  quite  thin  or  absent. 
Local  developments  may,  however,  be  discovered  in  the 
future,  which  will  prove  valuable ; but  at  present  it  does 
not  appear  that  much  should  be  expected  from  this  bed. 

Ores  of  II. 

§ 9.  These  are  confined  to  the  limestone  valleys  of  No.  II : 
Nittany,  Nippenose,  and  Sugar  valleys.  They  have  been 
mined  in  Nittany  valley,  at  Salona  and  Clintondale  (Wash- 
ington furnace),  in  Sugar  valley,  at  Freedley  (“Old  Debo- 
rah”) furnace,  and  at  the  old  furnace  in  Nippenose  valley. 

A very  careful  study  of  these  Nittany  valley  ores  was 
made  by  Prof.  J.  P.  Lesley  for  his  report  upon  the  lands 
of  Lyon,  Shorb  & Co.,  in  Huntingdon  and  Centre  counties, 
in  1873,  and  published  in  the  proceedings  of  the  American 
Philosophical  Society,  Vol.  XIY,  from  which  the  following 
extracts  are  taken  : 

“The  rocks  of  the  Lower  Silurian  Age  were  originally 
sea-muds,  composed  of  rounded  grains  of  dolomite  (derived 
from  previously  existing  Lawrentian  land),  cemented  to- 
gether with  a paste  of  carbonate  of  lime.  Some  of  the 


ORES. 


G4.  13 


beds  consisted  also  of  rounded  grains  of  quartz.  Some  of 
the  layers  were  nearly  pure  carbonate  of  lime.  All  con- 
tained a larger  or  smaller  percentage  of  iron,  lead,  zinc,  and 
other  metals,  precipitated  either  chemically  or  by  the  agency 
of  organic  beings,  from  the  solutions  of  their  carbonates, 
chlorides,  etc.,  in  the  river  and  sea- waters.  The  orderly 
explanation  of  all  the  chemical  and  organic  features  of  this 
complicated  operation  is  yet  to  be  given  to  the  scientific 
world ; but  all  will  agree  that  the  general  character  of  the 
calcareo-ferruginous  muds,  the  sediments  of  that  early  geo- 
logical age,  must  have  been  as  above  described. 

“During  the  long  Upper  Silurian,  Devonian,  and  Carbon- 
iferous ages,  these  Lower  Silurian  sediments  were  buried 
to  a depth  of  over  16,000  feet  beneath  the  later  sediments. 
They  remained  wet.  Their  great  depth  raised  their  tem- 
perature 16, 000 -=-50=320°  (Fahrenheit’s  thermometer)whicli 
added  to  the  mean  temperature  of  the  surface,  would  keep 
them  under  the  influence  of  a moist  heat  of  nearly  400°  F., 
through  what,  to  man,  is  a small  eternity  of  time. 

“Dr.  Genth’s  discovery  of  the  amorphous  or  gelatinous 
condition  of  a part  of  their  silica  is  thus  explainable. 
Varied  reactions  must  have  ensued.  The  carbonate  of  lime 
and  magnesia  combined  as  dolomites,  which  in  part  crystal- 
lized in  rhomboliedral  crystals,  the  forms  of  which  we  now 
see,  in  the  outcrops,  emptied  by  dissolution.  The  iron  be- 
came peroxydized  as  fibrous  hematite,  and  the  silica  can  be 
obtained  by  dilute  nitric  acid  in  the  same  fibrous  form . 
All  this  points  to  the  first  formation  of  the  iron  ore,  while 
the  rocks  were  still  at  a great  depth,  wet  and  soft  and 
warm. 

“But  at  the  end  of  the  coal  era  the  Middle  States  rose 
from  the  waves  and  have  never  been  covered  by  the  ocean 
since  that  time.  Erosion  commenced  and  has  continued 
....  to  the  present  day,  and  still  goes  on.  The  high 
plateau  was  gradually  worn  down  to  the  present  surface. 
Mountains  once  30,000  or  40,000  feet  high  are  now  but  2,000 
or  3,000  feet  above  sea-level.  The  valleys  were  excavated 
as  the  mountains  lowered,  and  the  outcrops  of  the  Lower 


14  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

Silurian  limestones  of  Nittany  valley  are  but  800  to  1300 
feet  above  tide. 

“This  slow  erosion  [of  the  limestone  valleys]  gives  us  the 
second  part  of  our  explanation  of  the  brown  hematite  iron 
ores.  It  explains  the  innumerable  caverns  and  sink  holes 
and  dry  hollows  of  this  Nittany  and  other  limestone  val- 
leys. It  leads  us  to  expect  to  find  traces  of  such  caverns 
and  widened  fissures  and  sink  holes  of  the  last  preceding 
age,  filled  up  with  a wash  of  clay,  sand,  and  iron  ore  from 
outcrops  lately  existing  not  far  above  the  outcrops  which 
run  along  the  present  surface. 

“The  erosion  still  going  on, may  very  well 

explain  that  outspread  of  surface  wash-ore  which  makes  so 
large  a feature  of  the  case.  It  may  also  explain  the  corru- 
gations of  the  clay  and  ore  strata  in  their  superficial  wash- 
ore  deposits. 

“Thus  the  different  theories  in  vogue  among  our  iron 
men  are  harmonized.  Each  theory  has  its  own  basis  of 
truth,  its  own  set  of  facts,  but  does  not  embrace  all  the 
phenomena. 

“Those  who  contend  that  the  brown  hematites  lie  in 
pockets  are  correct ; but  they  must  confine  their  assertion 
to  that  part  of  the  ore  which  now  occupies  former  caverns, 
fissures  and  sink  holes. 

“'Those  who  contend  that  the  brown  hematites  are  sur- 
face washes  caught  by  the  accidental  variations  of  the 
earth’s  surface,  are  correct ; but  they  must  limit  the  appli- 
cation of  their  theory  to  banks  which  show  rolled  gravel 
and  rolled  ore,  and  a confused  and  mingled  mass  of  ore, 
sand  and  clay. 

“A  third  view  is  equally  correct  and  much  more  import- 
ant. It  must  be  accepted  as  probable,  that  in  spite  of 
later  movements,  and  in  addition  to  cave-deposit  ores  and 
surf  ace- wash  ores,  there  are  interstratified  beds  of  brown 
hematite,  still  in  their  original  places,  although  not  in  their 
original  condition,  descending  with  the  general  slope  of  the 
formations  between  undissolved  limestone,  dolomite  and 
sandstone  rocks  to  undetermined  depths,  and  ranging 
lengthwise  of  the  district,  so  that  rows  of  ore  banks  can  be 


ORES. 


G4.  15 


and  have  been  opened  in  continuous  belts  of  many  miles’ 
length,  and  on  continuous  outcrops  of  ore  ground  of  every 
conceivable  variety  of  character,  quality  and  quantity. 

“It  is  provable that  there  exists  several  of 

these  belts,  representing  different  geological  horizons  ; and 
due  to  an  extra  charge  of  iron,  given,  we  know  not  how, 
to  sediments  of  different  ages.  As,  on  a grand  scale  iron- 
bearing rocks  occur  at  various  stages  of  the  column  of 
Palaeozoic  rocks  from  No.  I,  Potsdam  SS.,  to  No.  XII,  Coal 
measures, — so,  within  the  narrower  limits  of  one  sub-divi- 
sion of  this  column,  viz.,  in  the  Lower  Silurian  System, 
iron-bearing  rocks  occur  at  various  stages,  separated  by 
from  500  to  2000  feet.” 

As  the  brown  hematite  ores  of  Clinton  county  occur  in 
the  same  formation  and  are  continuous  with  the  above  de- 
scribed ores,  the  following  extracts  from  the  same  report 
upon  the  “Practical  Value  of  the  Ores”  are  in  place  here. 

“The  experience  of  sixty  years  has  demonstrated  the 
exact  values  of  the  brown  hematite  ores  of  all  the  Lower 
Silurian  valleys  of  Pennsylvania. 

“The  general  resemblance  of  ores  from  all  the  banks  is 
striking.  The  local  variations  are  still  more  striking.  The 
key  to  those  variations  was  only  got  when  tlie  true  geolog- 
ical theory  of  structure  was  studied  out.  But  it  is  still  a 
perplexing  question  why  the  red-short,  cold-short  and  neu- 
tral ores  should  lie  so  near  each  other.  There  is  scarcely 
an  ore-bank  in  Pennsylvania  in  which  the  chemist  will  not 
find  some  infusion  of  sulphur  and  phosphorus.  But  some 
ores  have  been  so  slightly  charged  with  one  or  other,  or 
both  of  these  elements,  that  they  rank  in  the  first  class. 

“ Others  are  so  heavily  charged  that  they  are  useless  for 
Bessemer  work ; take  a low  rank  as  anthracite  or  coke  iron 
ores,  and  only  make  good  pig  when  smelted  in  small  quan- 
tities, with  charcoal  and  a feeble  cold-blast. 

“ . . . Most  of  the  ores  of  the  district  under  notice  here 
yield  a practically  neutral  ore,  and  make  the  best  possible 
iron  in  cold-blast  charcoal  furnaces,  and  good  iron  with  the 
hot-blast,  and  mineral  fuel. 

“Phosphorus,  however,  is  found  in  all  known  Silurian 


16  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


brown  hematite  ores  (with  some  rare  exceptions)  in  quantity 
enough  to  prevent  the  manufacture  of  steel.  But  in  some 
cases  mixture  with  other  ores  will  rectify  the  ore.  In  other 
respects  the  percentage  of  phosphorus  is  too  small  to  do 
hurt. 

“ There  are  parts  of  the  deposit  in  almost  every  bank, 
which  are  sandy  and  lean.  These  have  been  hitherto  fas- 
tidiously rejected  by  the  charcoal  cold-blast  furnaces  of 
the  district.  Such  ores  are,  however,  in  demand  for  our 
anthracite  and  coke  furnaces,  and  the  ever-increasing  market 
for  them  will  require  the  mining  of  the  whole.  I believe 
that  carefully  selected  ore  from  these  banks  will  even  fur- 
nish iron  fit  for  Bessemer  use.” 

The  percentage  of  phosphoric  acid  in  these  ores  rarely 
reaches  00.50,  though  occasionally  it  amounts- to  nearly  one 
per  cent.  The  amount  of  phosphorus  in  100  parts  of  iron 
will  usually  range  between  0.15  and  0.35. 


Chapter  II. 


Systematic  Geology. 

§ 10.  The  sections  measured  in  Clinton  county  are  all 
given  in  Part  II,  in  the  report  on  the  Sub-Carboniferons 
rocks,  and  reference  must  be  made  to  them  for  all  details 
of  measurement  and  description. 

The  Lock  Haven  Long  Section  (Chap.  X)  gives  the  thick- 
nesses of  all  the  strata  included  between  the  Lower  Silurian 
rocks  of  Nittany  valley  and  the  Coal  measures  of  the  Alle- 
ghenys. 

The  following  scheme  gives  (without  thicknesses)  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  Palaeozoic  rocks  and  the  nomenclature 
used  throughout  this  report.  The  left-hand  Homan  num- 
erals show  the  numbers  of  the  First  Survey,  while  the  names 
opposite  them  are  the  ones  adopted  by  the  Second  Survey. 
Most  of  these  latter  have  been  borrowed  from  the  New  York 
nomenclature,  but  some,  as  Mauch  Chunk,  Pocono,  etc., 
are  taken  from  well  known  localities  at  which  the  forma- 
tion designated  presents  a typical  development. 

All  of  the  accompanying  Palaeozoic  column  of  Pennsyl- 
vania rocks  is  represented  within  the  limits  of  the  county 
except  the  Potsdam  sandstone  No.  I,  the  bottom  rock  of 
the  system,  which  underlies  the  limestones  of  Nittany  val- 
ley, and  although  not  brought  to  the  surface  by  the  Nit- 
tany valley  anticlinal,  it  cannot  lie  very  far  beneath  water 
level  along  the  crest  of  that  flexure. 

The  Lower  Productive  Coal  Measures  remain  uneroded, 
but  the  Barren  Measures  and  the  Upper  Productive  Coal 
Measures  have  been  swept  off  this  and  the  adjacent  coun- 
ties. 

Lower  Productive  Goal  Measures. 

§ 11.  The  best  areas  of  coal  remaining  uneroded  in  Clin- 
ton county  are  found  in  West  Keating  twp.  ; near  Westport ; 
on  the  Tangascootack ; and  at  Queen’s  run,  Farrandsville 
and  Eagleton. 

2 G4. 


(17) 


18  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Column  of  Palaeozoic  Bocks. 
Carboniferous  Age. 


No.  XV.  Upper  Productive,  \ 

No.  XIV.  Barren, I Coal  Measures. 

No.  XIII.  Lower  Productive,  ) 

No.  XII.  Conglomerate  Measures. 


Sub-carboniferous  Age. 


No.  XI.  Maucli  Chunk  red  shale  (Umbral  of  Prof.  Rogers). 

No.  X.  P°cono  Upper(gray)sandstone,  ) (Vespertine.) 

( Pocono  Lower  (red)  sandstone,  ) 


Devonian  Age. 


No.  IX.  Catskill  (Ponent). 
f Chemung. 

No  VIII  J Porta&e* 

| Hamilton.  (Genesee,  Hamilton,  Marcellus). 
( Upper  Helderberg  group. 

No.  YII.  Oriskany  sandstone. 


Silurian  Age. 


No.  VI. 
No.  Y. 

No.  IY. 


Lower  Helderberg  group,  ) 

Clinton  group, j 

( Medina  sandstone,  . . . ) 
t Oneida  Conglomerate,.  . f 


Upper  Silurian. 
Middle  Silurian. 


Siluro-Cambrian. 

No.  III.  Hudson  River  and  Utica  slates. 

No.  II.  Trenton,  Birdseye,  Black  River,  etc.,  limestones. 
No.  I.  Potsdam  sandstone. 

The  geological  map  shows  many  isolated  patches  covered 
by  the  Coal  measure  rocks,  but  many  of  these  contain  only 
the  lowest  coal  seam , which  often  has  so  little  cover  that 
profitable  working  is  impossible. 


SYSTEMATIC  GEOLOGY. 


G4.  19 


The  Tangascootack  coal  field  contains  three  beds,  of  which 
one  only  can  be  profitably  mined,  and  most  the  easily  ac- 
cessible area  of  this  bed  has  been  exhausted.  The  same 
statement  is  equally  true  of  the  Queen’s  run  and  Farrands- 
ville  coal.  The  bed  was  here  cut  off  by  a square-cut  fault, 
supposed  to  be  an  upthrow.  Mr.  Platt  has  suggested  that 
this  may  be  a downthrow,  and  recent  excavations  showing 
soft  shales  at  the  face  seem  to  indicate  that  such  is  the 
case.  If  so,  then  a considerable  body  of  coal  may  yet  be 
obtained  from  this  locality. 

The  fireclay  immediately  underlying  this  coal  made  ex- 
cellent firebrick,  and  should  the  coal  be  found  beyond  the 
fault  these  brickworks  could  again  be  profitably  operated. 

The  Eagleton  mines  were  not  nearly  exhausted  when 
abandoned,  but  much  of  the  coal  was  ruined  by  injudicious 
mining.  Years  hence,  when  the  coal  supply  is  insufficient 
to  meet  the  demand,  this  area  may  again  be  opened  up  and 
worked,  but  at  present  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a market 
for  the  coal. 

The  small  coal  areas  near  Wetham  and  on  the  old  Cou- 
dersport  and  Jersey  Shore  turnpike,  though  containing  a 
seam  from  two  to  three  feet  thick,  have  hardly  sufficient 
cover  to  insure  clean  coal. 

The  developments  made  near  Renovo  between  Drury  and 
Shintown  runs  have  resulted  disastrously.  They  are  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  Ashburner  in  chapter  V. 

In  West  Keating  township  some  very  fair  coal  has  been 
opened  up.  The  best  areas  are  found  between  Grove  run 
and  Three  runs.  These  coals  may  furnish  a considerable 
quantity  of  fair  coal,  but  in  the  absence  of  a railroad  they 
cannot  be  profitably  mined. 

The  Wistar  coal  lands  contain  only  the  lowest  coal  seams 
with  very  little  cover.  Prospecting  is  now  (May,  1880)  be- 
ing done  with  but  little  prospect  of  obtaining  a profitably 
workable  bed. 

The  best  coal  seam  opened  in  Clinton  county  is  to  be  seen 
near  Westport  on  the  dividing  ridge  between  Kettle  creek 
and  Little  Cook’s  run.  It  measures  from  four  arid  a half 
to  five  feet,  is  clean,  free  from  slate  and  shows  but  a model*- 


20  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


ate  amount  of  ash  and  small  percentage  of  sulphur.  A 
large  colliery  will  probably  soon  be  in  operation  at  this 
point.  A detailed  description  of  the  bed  will  be  found  in 
the  geology  of  IN  oyes  township. 

Goal  Measure  ores. 

§ 12,  But  little  attention  has  been  given  to  the  Coal  meas- 
ure ores  in  collecting  the  data  for  this  report.  They  are  all 
carbonate  (clay  iron  stone)  ores  weathering  at  the  outcrop  in- 
to brown  hematites  so  that  most  the  surface  specimens  de- 
ceptively indicate  the  presence  of  rich  hematite  ores.  The 
nearness  and  abundance  of  the  limestone  ores  of  Nittany 
valley  which  far  surpass  these  coal  measure  ores  in  purity 
and  in  the  percentage  of  iron  and  which  must  always  com- 
pletely overshadow  them  will  always  prevent  the  profitable 
mining  of  these  ores. 

Conglomerate  Measures , XII. 

§ 13.  These  sandstones  and  conglomerates  form  the  cap- 
rock  to  nearly  all  the  summits  north  of  the  Allegheny  es- 
carpments. They  number  sometimes  two,  sometimes  three 
or  four  bands  of  coarse  sandstone,  separated  by  beds  of 
sandy  shale,  in  which  thin  coal  seams  may  occasionally  be 
found.  They  are  described  in  detail,  in  Part  II. 

The  area  covered  by  these  measures  is  shown  by  the  tint 
of  Payne’s  grey,  next  above  the  red  line  of  No.  XI,  and 
immediately  beneath  the  dark  coal  areas. 

Mauch  Chunk  red  shale , No.  XI. 

§ 14.  This  is  shown  by  a red  line  running  around  all  the 
summits  north  of  the  mountainous  escarpment.  This  red 
line  does  not  strictly  represent  what  is  actually  found  on 
th$  ground,  for  sometimes  no  trace  of  this  red  band  can  be 
detected.  Over  such  areas  the  line  has  been  prolonged  as 
if  the  formation  it  represents  were  actually  existant,  and  is 
located  to  show  as  nearly  as  possible,  the  true  horizon  of 
that  formation. 

Plate  VI  will  show  to  the  eye  the  manner  in  which  these 
formations  lie,  superimposed  one  upon  the  other  in  regular 


Profile  Section  from  Queen’s  Run  to  Sugar  Valley. 


G4,  PL, VI, 


22  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS. 


II.  M.  CHANCE. 


order ; and  it  will  also  show  at  a glance  how  the  dittany 
valley  limestones  lie  far  beneath  the  rocks  at  Queen’ s run. 

Pocono  sandstone , No.  X. 

§ 15.  The  two  divisions  of  this  formation,  grey  and  red, 
can  be  discerned  without  difficulty  from  Hyner,  or  North 
Point  northwardly  and  westwardly  to  Cameron  and  Potter 
counties,  but  from  Queen’s  run  to  Hyner,  it  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  place  the  dividing  line  between  the  two  sub-divisions, 
as  the  lower  half  contains  very  little  red  rock.  (For  sec- 
tions, and  detailed  description  of  this  formationvsee  Part  II.) 

The  hillsides  from  water  level  up  to  the  red  shale  of  No. 
XI,  are  composed  entirely  of  Pocono  measures,  (grey  and 
red,)  except  on  the  anticlinal  crest  at  Hyner  and  Ritchie, 
where  more  than  two  hundred  feet  of  Catskill  red  rocks 
come  above  water  level. 

CatsMll  red  rocks , No.  IX. 

§ 1 G.  Mention  has  been  made  of  the  occurrence  of  this 
rock  at  Hyner.  It  is  also  seen  finely  exposed  at  Queen’s 
run.  Traced  eastwardly  and  westwardly  from  the  latter 
point,  it  extends  along  the  foot  of  the  Allegheny  moun- 
tains, always  forming  bold,  rounded  hills,  whose  red  soil 
is  conspicuous,  even  when  viewed  at  a distance  of  several 
miles. 

Devonian  grey  rocks , No.  VIII.  ( Chemung , Portage , 
Genesee , Hamilton , Marcellas.) 

§ 17.  These  rocks  are  all  finely  exposed  on  the  Susque- 
hanna, between  Lock  Haven  and  Queen’s  run,  where  they 
were  measured,  and  are  described  in  the  Lock  Haven  sec- 
tion, (Part  II.) 

They  form  the  rolling  country  of  the  northern  half  of 
Bald  Eagle  valley,  and  the  high  rounded  knobs  generally 
known  as  the  “ Allegheny  Mountain  Foot-hills.” 

Other  than  furnishing  some  hag-stone,  they  contain  noth- 
ing of  economic  importance. 

Oriskany  sandstone , No.  VII 

§ 18.  This  rock  is  absent  from  the  eastern  part  of  Bald 


SYSTEMATIC  GEOLOGY. 


G4.  23 


Eagle  valley.  It  occurs  near  Beecli  creek,  but  is  evidently 
quite  thin  and  can  hardly  be  of  much  value.  It  is  possible 
however  that  search  properly  directed  may  result  in  the 
discovery  of  some  layers  sufficiently  pure  to  yield  a good 
glass  sand. 

Lower  Heidelberg  limestones , No.  VI. 

§ 19.  Of  these  little  can  be  said.  They  are  generally 
eroded  and  far  out  of  reach  beneath  Bald  Eagle  creek  and 
the  Susquehanna  river.  Where  exposed  and  quarried  they 
yield  a lime  far  inferior  to  the  Nittany  valley  limestone, 
though  for  agricultural  purposes  one  is  probably  as  good 
as  the  other. 

Clinton  red  shale , No.  V. 

§ 20.  This  is  found  along  the  northern  slope  of  the  Bald 
Eagle  mountain  and  in  the  synclinal  valley  of  Cherry  run 
between  Nittany  and  Sugar  valleys.  It  is  the  repository  of 
the  famous  “ fossil-ore  ” of  the  Juniata  country.  This  ore 
has  been  opened  alid  worked  at  Mill  Hall  gap  but  it  was 
quite  silicious  and  was  finally  entirely  superceded  by  the 
brown  hematite  from  Mttany  valley. 

Medina  and  Oneida  sandstones , No.  IV. 

§ 21.  These  massive  sandrock  deposits  are  of  little  inter- 
est to  the  economist.  Thev  form  the  bold  mountain  ridges 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  county. 

At  Lock  Haven  these  sandstones  together  with  Nos.  Y, 
YI,  YII,  and  YIII  dip  northwest  beneath  the  Allegheny 
mountain  rocks  and  are  not  again  visible  until  they  come 
above  water  level  in  New  York  State,  one  hundred  miles  to 
the  northwest. 

Hudson  River  and  Utica  slates , No.  III. 

§ 22.  These  soft  shales  and  slates  sometimes  containing 
quite  sandy  layers,  everywhere  flank  the  mountain  between 
the  limestones  of  No.  Hand  the  hard  sandrocks  of  No.  IY. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  the  State  this  formation  supplies 


24  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHAXCE. 


us  with  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  roofing  slate,  which 
only  occur  in  those  parts  of  the  formation  that  have  been 
twisted  and  distorted  by  enormous  pressure,  and  which 
has  joroduced  in  them  a set  of  cleavage  planes  entirely 
independent  of  the  original  bed  plates.  The  slates  split 
up  into  thin  sheets  along  these  planes  and  at  an  angle  to 
the  bedding.  As  these  conditions  are  absent  in.  Clinton 
county  it  does  not  seem  probable  that  slate  fit  for  roofing 
will  ever  be  obtained  from  this  formation. 

Siluro- Cambrian  limestones , No.  II. 

§ 23.  Of  these  limestones  themselves  but  little  need  be 
said  ; and  their  ores  have  already  been  described.  The  for- 
mation is  represented  by  the  cobalt  blue  color  on  the  geo- 
logical map.  It  is  characteristically  valley  forming,  and 
these  valleys  are  always  full  of  sink  holes,  caverns,  fissures 
and  underground  streams  due  to  the  solvent  action  of  rain 
water  loaded  with  carbonic  acid  gas  upon  the  limestone. 

Potsdam  sandstone , No.  I. 

§ 24.  This  formation  underlies  the  above  described  lime- 
stone series,  but  does  not  appear  above  water  level  in  Clin- 
ton county.  Its  depth  beneath  the  water  level  in  Fishing 
Creek  near  the  center  of  ISTittany  valley  is  probably  more 
than  1000  feet. 


Chapter  III. 


Structural  Geology. 

% 25.  The  topography  of  Clinton  county  is  intimately  in 
relation  not  only  with  the  stratigraphical  but  also  the  struct- 
ural geology  of  the  county. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  i.  e.  that  portion  south 
of  the  Allegheny  escarpment,  the  limestones  of  No.  II  are 
elevated  above  water  level  along  the  crests  of  two  major  an- 
ticlinal axes  ; the  Sugar  valley  axis  and  the  Nittany  valley 
axis.  These  two  axes  include  between  them  the  synclinal 
of  Nittany  mountain. 

Besides  the  main  axis  of  Nittany  valley  one  or  two  sub- 
ordinate rolls,  the  eastward  prolongations  of  more  promi- 
nent western  flexures,  can  be  faintly  detected  near  the  Centre 
county  line. 

The  Nittany  valley  axis  lies  on  the  north  side  of  the  val- 
ley, but  a short  distance  from  Bald  Eagle  mountain,  its 
north  dip  being  steep,  its  southern  dip  more  gentle.  These 
features  will  be  more  easily  understood  by  reference  to  the 
page  plates  showing  cross  sections  of  Nittany  and  Sugar 
valleys. 

Nippenose  valley  also  owes  its  existence  to  the  Nittany 
valley  anticlinal  as  well  as  the  beautiful  little  Musquito  val- 
ley of  Lycoming  county. 

The  existence  of  this  axis  would  not  have  produced  these 
valleys  were  the  crest  of  the  flexure  a straight  line ; but 
this  crest  is  a curved  line,  raising  the  formations  in  a suc- 
cession of  domes.  The  accompanying  page  plate  is  a re- 
production of  the  cut  given  in  the  report  of  the  First  Survey 
to  illustrate  this  feature. 

The  north  dip  of  the  Nittany  valley  axis  is  much  sharper 
than  the  south  dip.  The  same  statement  is  equally  true  of 
the  Sugar  valley  axis. 

The  synclinal  of  Big  mountain,  or  Nittany  mountain  as 
it  is  also  called,  broadens  out  to  the  east  towards  Lycoming 

( 25  G*.  ) 


SECTION  ALONG1THE  NITTANY  VALLEY  ANTICLI NAL. 
Reproduced  from  the  Pirst  Survey  Report. 


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STRUCTURAL  GEOLOGY. 


G4.  27 


county,  and  contracts  toward  the  west.  It  includes  between 
its  two  crests  the  valley  of  Cherry  run,  and  Pleasant  valley 
in  Centre  county,  where  a notable  thickness  of  the  red 
shales  and  sandstones  of  No.  Y,  remain  uneroded. 

The  broad  table-land  between  Nittany  and  Nippenose 
valley  is  formed  by  a nearly  horizontal  expanse  of  No.  IY. 
Some  little  red  shale  of  No.  Y here  and  there  remains  as  a 
cap  rock,  but  its  area  is  limited. 

§ 26.  Bald  Eagle  valley  presents  several  minor  anticlinal 
folds.  These  are  all  confined  to  the  flat  country  bordering 
the  northern  flank  of  Bald  Eagle  mountain,  and  occupy  a 
width  of  about  one  mile.  They  are  well  exposed  in  a series 
of  limestone  quarries,  natural  exposures,  and  road  cuttings 
on  the  east  side  of  Pine  creek. 

Plate  Y (chapter  IY)  shows  a section  measured  and  con- 
structed at  that  locality. 

At  Mill  Hall  Gap  the  space  occupied  by  these  folds  is  not 
nearly  so  broad  as  at  Pine  creek,  and  the  valley  fiats  are 
consequently  much  narrower.  This  narrowing  continues 
to  the  Centre  county  line,  with  probably  a partial  disap- 
pearance of  the  flexures. 

Between  Lock  Haven  and  the  Allegheny  mountains,  at 
Queen’s  run,  the  dip  is  constantly  to  the  northwest,  vary- 
ing in  steepness  from  50°  to  85°  to  45°  to  38°,  to  19°  to  14°, 
to  10°  to  5°,  when  the  center  of  the  Tangascootack  basin  is 
reached,  and  the  pitch  is  reversed  for  several  miles. 

Axes  of  the  Bituminous  Coal  Field. 

§ 27.  North  of  the  Allegheny  escarpment  the  following 
anticlinals  and  basins  have  been  located,  and  traced  east 
and  west  to  their  connections  with  flexures  described  in 
adjoining  districts  A' 

[Driftwood  or  Second  anticlinal  axis.] 
Benovo-Karthaus  Basin. 

Hyner  anticlinal  axis. 

Wetham  Basin. 

Eagle  ton  anticlinal  axis. 

Tangascootack-Queen’s  Bun  Basin. 

§ee  Reports  of  Progress  in  Clearfield  county,  H,  Lycoming  county,  GG, 
and  Potter  county,  GGG. 


28  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Tangascootack  Basin. 

§ 28.  This  trough  extends  from  the  wilderness  of  Beech 
creek  and  the  headwaters  of  the  main  branch  of  Tangas- 
cootack creek,  east  by  north  ; crossing  the  river  near  Far- 
randsville,  and  continuing  eastward  close  to  the  southern 
face  of  the  mountain,  until  Pine  creek  is  reached.  East  of 
Pine  creek,  in  Lycoming  county,  the  Conglomerate  (XII) 
and  most  of  the  Pocono  sandstone  (X)  have  been  eroded 
from  its  site,  so  that  it  is  no  longer  a flexure  in  the  Coal 
field,  but  runs  in  front  of  the  Allegheny  mountain  in  a nar- 
row belt  of  red  Catskill  rocks  (No.  IX)  as  shown  on  the 
map  of  Lycoming  county,  Report  GG.  It  has  no  connec- 
tion whatever  with  the  coal  basins  of  Sullivan  county  (see 
Report  GG)  as  formerly  supposed,  and  as  indicated  on  the 
State  map  of  1858. 

Tracing  this  basin  westwardly  we  would  naturally  look 
for  its  continuation  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Snow-Shoe 
trough,  but  from  the  course  of  the  basin,  as  determined 
from  points  located  on  the  Clinton  county  map,  it  appears 
that  when  prolonged,  this  basin  should  be  found  mucli  far- 
ther south,  or  nearer  the  face  of  the  mountains  than  the 
Snow-Shoe  district.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  the  maps 
are  faulty,  and  that  were  the  course  of  the  trough  accu- 
rately determined,  it  would  be  found  continuous  with  the 
latter  basin. 

Eagleton  or  Furney ’ s Bun  Anticlinal. 

§ 29.  In  going  northward  up  the  P.  & E.  R.  R.  from  the 
Tangascootack  basin  near  Farrandsville,  the  strata  rise  on 
a nearly  uniform  south  dip  of  about  100  feet  per  mile  until 
Furney’ s run  is  reached.  Here  an  anticlinal  crosses  the 
river.  This  produces  the  high  lands  east  of  Furney  station 
and  west  of  the  run  near  Eagleton. 

Its  north  dip  is  slight,  and  the  Wetliam  basin  next  north 
of  it  being  quite  shallow,  it  is  hardly  more  than  a roll  or 
slight  fold  on  the  south  side  of  the  more  prominent  Hyner 
axis. 

Eastward  the  anticlinal  broadens  out  and  becomes  sharper 


STRUCTURAL  GEOLOGY. 


G4  29 


until  in  Bradford  county  it  is  quite  a prominent  axis,  marked 
by  a broad  valley.  Its  crown  is  detected  near  Wyalusing 
Falls. 


Wetliam  Basin. 

§ 30.  At  Wetham  one  or  two  of  the  lower  coals  are  brought 
down  into  the  hilltops  by  this  trough,  which  is  again  de- 
tected on  the  eastern  boundary  line  of  the  county  in  Gal- 
lauher  township,  where  it  contains  one,— possibly  two,  coal 
beds.  Their  area,  however,  is  quite  limited.  The  patches 
of  coal  land  lying  west  of  Eagleton  are  also  to  be  referred 
to  this  basin,  which  is  the  eastern  extension  of  the  northern 
part  of  the  Snow-Shoe  basin.  Traced  north-eastwardly  it 
apparently  broadens  out  into  the  To wanda  Mountain  syn- 
clinal, from  which  the  To  wanda  coals  are  mined. 

Hyner  Anticlinal. 

§ 31.  This  is  the  most  important  axis  of  the  county.  Its 
crown  is  exposed  on  the  railroad,  midway  between  Hyner 
and  Ritchie  stations,  where  it  brings  over  two  hundred  feet 
of  Catskill  red  rock  above  water  level. 

It  extends  southwestwardly,  forming  the  high  lands  south  . 
of  Renovo,  which  in  some  places  are  2100'— [—  above  ocean 
level  (bar.),  and  passing  into  Clearfield  county  subdivides 
the  First  Basin  of  the  southwest,  into  two  troughs ; the 
Snow-Shoe,  and  the  Karthaus  sub-basins. 

It  is  the  representative  of  the  main  sub- axis  of  the  First 
Bituminous  coal  basin,  Mr.  Platt’s  Viaduct  axis,  though 
not  necessarily  continuous  with  that  axis  in  a straight  line. 

Tracing  it  northeastwardly  across  the  high  lands  capped 
by  the  Conglomerate  and  Pocono  sandstones  in  Clinton 
and  Lycoming  counties,  we  find  it  gradually  passing  into 
and  lengthwise  through  a broad  lowland  ; for,  the  gradual 
elevation  of  its  central  line  brings  up  to  daylight,  in  Ly- 
coming county,  the  soft  red  rocks  of  the  Catskill,  and  the 
easily  eroded  Chemung  and  Portage  shales.  In  Tioga  and 
Bradford  counties  it  is  practically  represented  by  the  axis 


30  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


which  runs  through  the  centre  of  the  valley  between  the 
Towanda  and  Blossburg  mountains. 

Karthaus-Renom  basin. 

§ 32.  This  is  nearly  parallel  to  the  Hyner  axis.  In  West 
Keating  township  it  contains  some  good  workable  coal  beds, 
but  the  attempt  to  mine  from  it  at  Renovo  was  financially 
unsuccessful. 

The  north  dip  into  this  basin  from  the  crest  of  the  Hyner 
axis  is  steeper,  averaging  about  200  feet  per  mile  in  the 
vicinity  of  Hyner’ s run  and  Young womanstown  creek. 

The  Blossburg  basin  in  Tioga  county  is  apparently  a con- 
tinuation of  this  trough,  and  is  therefore  the  northeastern 
extension  of  the  second  sub-basin  of  the  First  Bituminous 
coal  basin  of  Clearfield  and  Cambria  counties. 

The  “ First  Axis.” 

§ 33.  From  the  centre  of  the  synclinal  trough  on  the  Sin- 
nemalioning  river  near  Keating  station,  northward  to  Drift- 
wood  there  is  no  indication  of  the  presence  of  any  flexure, 
the  rise  to  the  north  being  continuous  (south  dip)  until 
the  crest  of  the  Second  anticlinal  axis  is  reached  near 
Driftwood.  The  First  anticlinal  axis,  as  determined  by  Mr. 
Platt  in  Clearfield  county,  should,  when  prolonged  to  the 
Sinnemalioning,  cross  the  railroad  about  ten  miles  above 
Keating ; but  no  axis  can  be  detected  in  that  vicinity, 
though  it  may  be  represented  by  a flattened,  indistinct  roll. 

The  disappearance  of  this  axis  was  suspected  by  Mr. 
Platt,  who  in  his  first  report  (H,  page  11)  says:  “ The 
Laurel  Hill  [First]  axis  in  Clearfield  county  ....  crosses 
....  the  West  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna  west  of 
Frenchville,  about  5 miles  west  of  Kartlmus  ....  and 
. . . .is  much  flattened  out  and  seems  to  be  dying  gently 
away  to  the  northward.” 

It  is  then  clear  that  northeast  of  Clearfield  county  the 
First  axis  of  the  southwest  has  no  existence , and  with  it 
the  second  basin  becomes  extinct , having  its  place  upon  the 
south  slope  of  the  second  or  Driftwood  anticlinal  axis. 


STRUCTURAL  GEOLOGY. 


G4„  31 


The  following  scheme,  though  simply  a resume  of  the 
above  descriptions,  will  show  more  clearly  the  synonymy 
of  the  local  names  used  to  designate  these  basins  and  axes. 
The  names  “ First,”  “ Second”  and  “Third”  axis  (or  basin) 
are  used  to  denote  the  divisions  recognized  in  Cambria  and 
Clearfield  county.  When  enclosed  in  brackets,  they  ex- 
press the  nomenclature  used  by  Mr.  Hodge,  of  the  First 
Survey,  for  the  flexures  determined  by  him  in  the  northeast- 
ern counties. 

The  First  Bituminous  coal  basin  of  the  southwest  is  the 
geological  and  geographical  equivalent  of  the  Laporte,  To- 
wanda  and  Blossburg  basins  of  the  northeast. 

The  connection  existing  between  the  Wetham  and  Queen’s 
Bun  basins  in  Clinton  county  and  the  Snow  Shoe  sub-basin 
was  not  accurately  determined  by  the  work  done  in  Clinton 
county,  but  the  data  obtained  by  Mr.  Platt  in  Centre  and 
Clearfield  counties  will  probably  minutely  determine  the 
location  of  these  troughs  and  their  course  southwest  to  the 
Snow  Shoe  coal  field.  Enough  is  known  however  to  make 
certain  the  identity  of  the  Hyner  axis  with  the  Viaduct  or 
First  sub-axis,  though  in  all  probability  the  axis  does  not 
continue  for  any  great  distance  in  a perfectly  straight  line, 
but  runs  in  a curved  line  or  in  echelon  along  the  course 
already  described. 

The  northeastern  extension  of  these  flexures  through 
Bradford  and  Tioga  counties  has  already  been  very  fully 
described  in  Beports  G,  GG  and  GGG  by  Mr.  Platt  and  Mr. 
Sherwood,  but  the  facts  then  in  hand  were  not  sufficient  to 
fix  their  exact  equivalency  with  the  folds  of  southwestern 
Pennsylvania,  and  local  names  were  therefore  given  them  ; 
these  latter  are  shown  on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  table. 

All  the  Coal  measures  of  Clinton  county  are  referable  to 
the  First  basin  of  the  southwest.  It  must  not  be  inferred 
from  the  above  identification  that  all  these  axes  and  basins 
run  continuously  as  such  through  the  State  from  Tioga  to 
Cambria  county.  The  scheme  presented  is  only  of  use  for 
comparison  and  collation  of  the  material  published  on  then 
widely  separated  districts  and  is  only  intended  to  show  the 
homologue  in  one  district  of  an  axis  or  basin  described  in 


32  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


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[Note.—1 The  above  table  must  not  be  taken  for  more  than  it  is  worth.  It  must  be  carefully  remembered  that  the  Queen’s 
run  basin  points  down  into  the  Williamsburg  valley,  and  not  towards  the  Laporte  basin;  but  it  occupies  the  same  relative  posi- 
tion in  regard  to  the  basins  back  (northwest)  of  it,  as  the  Laporte  basin  does  to  the  basins  back  (north)  of  it.— J.  P.  L.] 


STRUCTURAL  GEOLOGY. 


G4.  33 


another  county.  It  also  graphically  displays  the  incom- 
petence of  a numerical  nomenclature  to  express  the  facts  of 
structural  geology;  thus  the  “ First  Basin”  of  the  south- 
west is  made  through  an  erroneous  nomenclature  the  equiv- 
alent of  the  First,  Second  and  Third  basins  of  the  northeast 
and  of  the  First  and  Second  basins  of  Centre  and  Clearfield 
counties. 


Chapter  IV. 

9 

Geology  of  the  Townships. 


§ 34.  The  townships  of  Clinton  county  are  twenty-one  in 
number,  arranged  irregularly  in  the  following  order : 


Leidy. 

Chapman. 

Part 

East 

of 

Noyes. 

Keating. 

Grugan. 

Colebrook. 

Gallauher. 

West  Keating. 

Bald  Eagle.  Colebrook. 

Beech  Creek.  Dunstable. 


Woodward.  Pine  Creek. 
Allison.  Wayne. 

Porter.  Lamar.  Crawford. 

Logan.  Greene. 


They  will  be  described  in  the  following  pages  in  regular 
order  from  east  to  west  beginning  at  the  southeastern  cor- 
ner of  the  county  and  progressing  northwardly  to  the  north- 
western corner. 

Much  of  the  material  used  for  the  report  on  the  town- 
ships south  of  the  Bald  Eagle  mountain  has  been  taken 
from  the  report  of  the  First  Survey.  Mr.  Platt  has  furnished 
some  valuable  data  for  the  report  on  the  Tangascootack, 
Beech  creek  and  Queen’ s run  coal  fields. 


Greene  Township. 

§ 35.  This  is  a wedge  shaped  tract — its  sharp  end  point- 
ing east — lying  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  county 
adjacent  to  Lycoming  and  Centre  counties. 

Its  northern  half  is  occupied  by  part  of  the  mountainous 
plateau  of  Nittany  mountain,  containing  the  eastward  ex- 

(35) 


36  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


tension  of  the  Cherry  run  synclinal,  while  in  its  southern 
half  lies  the  fertile  limestone  country  of  Sugar  valley, 
bounded  on  the  south  by  Brush  mountain. 

As  Sugar  valley  is  best  described  as  an  individual  whole, 
the  detailed  geology  pertaining  to  it  will  be  placed  after  the 
description  of  Logan  township. 


Logan  Township. 

§ 36.  This  lies  next  west  of  Greene  township,  and  south 
from  Porter  and  Lamar  townships.  Its  northern  boundary 
line  follows  the  centre  line  of  Cherry  valley. 

It  includes  therefore  in  its  northern  portion  one  half  the 
red  shale  lands  of  Cherry  valley  and  the  southern  crest  or 
half  of  Nittany  or  “Big”  mountain. 

These  red  Shale  lands  of  No.  Y are  covered  with  talus 
from  the  hard  sandrocks  of  No.  IY  in  the  adjoining  mount- 
ain and  are  worthless  as  farming  land. 

Washington  furnace  obtained  much  of  its  fuel  from  this 
valley.  A railroad  three  or  four  miles  long  was  built  up 
this  valley  to  transport  charcoal  to  the  furnace. 

Sugar  Valley . 

§ 37.  This  beautiful  and  fertile  canoe-shaped  limestone 
valley  is  from  one  to  one  mile  and  three-quarters  wide  and 
about  seventeen  miles  long. 

It  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the  mountains  formed  by 
the  outcrop  of  No.  IY, — the  Oneida  and  Medina  sandstones. 
Between  these  and  the  limestone  floor  of  the  valley  is  a 
band  of  slaty  and  shaly  measures  (No.  Ill)  forming  the 
mountain  flank.  Yery  fair  land  often  results  from  a disin- 
tegration of  these  measures  when  free  from  the  debris  of 
mountain  sandstone  with  which  they  are  usually  covered. 

The  anticlinal  which  elevates  the  valley-forming  lime- 
stones of  Sugar  valley  gently  dies  away  at  both  the  eastern 
and  western  ends  of  the  valley.  The  greatest  thickness  of 
limestone  is  therefore  brought  above  water  level  near  the 
centre  of  the  valley. 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  87 


Plate  IY,  shown  on  the  same  page  with  plate  III,  is  re- 
produced from  the  report  of  the  First  Survey,  and  shows 
the  connection  underground  of  these  limestones  witli  the 
limestones  of  Nittany  and  Brush  valleys,  and  how  the  sand- 
rocks  of  Brush  and  Big  mountains  are  parts  of  one  and  the 
same  formation. 

The  drainage  of  Sugar  valley  is  not  nearly  so  irregular  as 
that  of  Nippenose  and  Nittany.  Sink-holes  and  under- 
ground water  courses  are  more  rare.  The  whole  valley  is 
drained  by  Big  Fishing  creek  which  rising  at  the  east  end 
of  the  valley  flows  westwardly  through  its  whole  length, 
keeping  near  the  centre  of  the  valley  and  finally  flows 
into  Nittany  valley  through  the  sharply  cut  and  tortuous 
gap  at  Washington  furnace. 

Ore. — The  ore  worked  by  Freedley  (“Old  Deborah”) 
furnace  was  dug  near  the  eastern  end  of  the  valley.  Great 
difficulty  was  experienced  in  keeping  out  the  water,  and 
this  finally  led  to  the  abandonment  of  the  enterprise.  The 
stack  has  been  out  of  blast  for  nearly  thirty  years. 

§ 38.  The  following  paragraphs  are  extracted  from  the 
final  report  of  the  First  Survey,  1858. 

“Iron  ore  is  supposed  to  exist  in  quantity  three  miles 
west  of  Kleckner’s,  but  other  openings  have  failed  to  yield 
ore  enough  to  justify  the  erection  of  furnaces.  About  two 
miles  east  of  Kleckner’s  the  surface  is  strewn  with  speci- 
mens of  dark  excellent  chestnut  ore,  among  numerous  frag- 
ments of  variegated  chert.  In  every  opening  the  solid  rock 
was  struck  before  descending  15  feet,  and  shafts  30  feet 
deep  were  sunk  near  the  furnace  with  the  same  ill  success. 

“On  the  road  from  Rebersburg  into  Sugar  valley  the 
Levant  Grey  sandstones  (No.  IV)  at  first  dip  45°  N.  28°  W., 
and  there  in  the  middle  of  the  synclinal  we  find  the  com- 
plexly false-bedded  strata  of  the  argillaceous  (red)  sand- 
stone in  a nearly  horizontal  position.  The  Matinal  (No. 
Ill)  slates,  on  entering  the  valley,  dip  45°  S.  30°  E.  This 
is  three  miles  from  its  west  end.  Pursuing  the  road  across 
the  valley  to  Washington  gap,  the  limestone  strata  incline 
continually  less,  and  a dip  is  perceived  lengthwise  of  the 
anticlinal  as  the  latter  declines  westward.  Before  reaching 


38  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


the  saw-mill  the  dip  is  5°  S.  40°  W.  At  the  saw-mill  it  is 
but  15°,  but  passing  the  axis  of  the  flexure  it  runs  close 
along  the  north  side  of  the  valley,  the  slate  and  sandstone 
(Nos.  Ill  and  IV)  in  the  gap  are  nearly  perpendicular,  and 
a little  further  even  overturned  to  70°  south. 

“About  three  and  a half  miles  from  the  west  end,  upon 
the  main  road  up  the  valley,  a pale  blue  fetid  limestone 
occurs,  speckled  with  yellow  spar  like  the  Nippenose  “mar- 
ble.” It  dips  20°  sandy  limestone  in  the  creek,  two  miles 
further  east  dips  15°  north.  The  anticlinal  becomes  more 
regular  near  the  middle  of  the  valley.  In  Kleckner’ s Gap 
the  dip  is  30°  north. 

“The  margin  of  the  limestone  recedes  a little  farther 
from  the  foot  of  the  mountain  east  of  Kleckner’s  Gap.  At 
the  furnace  there  is  a quarry  of  massive  strata  dipping  10° 
N.  20°  E.,  marking  the  decline  of  the  anticlinal  in  that 
direction.” 

Crawford  Township. 

§ 39.  This  lies  north  of  Green  and  south  of  Wayne  town- 
ships, and  is  adjacent  to  Lycoming  county  along  the  east- 
ern line. 

About  one  half,  or  nearly  half  of  Nippenose  valley  is  con- 
tained within  the  limits  of  this  township  ; the  eastern  end 
of  the  valley  being  in  Lycoming  county. 

Besides  this  valley,  a portion  of  the  mountainous  arch 
between  it  and  Nittany  valley  as  well  as  a narrow  strip  of 
its  enclosing  mountains  are  contained  within  the  township. 

The  mountainous  area  composed  wholly  of  the  outcrop- 
ping hard  and  massive  sandrocks  of  No.  IY  presents  little 
of  economic  or  geologic  interest. 

' § 40.  Nippenose  valley  is  well  called  from  its  peculiar 
shape,  the  “oval  valley.  Ten  or  eleven  miles  long  by 
three  to  three  and  a half  in  breadth,  it  has  a general  ellip- 
tical form,  the  regularity  of  which  is  slightly  broken  by 
several  spurs  and  ravines. 

The  geological  structure  which  produced  Nippenose  and 
Musquito  valleys  lias  already  been  illustrated  by  plate  III 
(Chapter  3). 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  39 


In  the  report  of  the  First  Survey  the  following  data  are 
given  to  demonstrate  the  domed  shape  of  the  Nittany  val- 
ley anticlinal  in  this  locality  : 

“ Thus  at  Anti’s  gap  the  dip  is  35°  N.,  but  at  Love’s  gap 
only  12°  N.  30°  W. ; at  Rattling  Run  gap  10°  S.  At  Anti’s 
gap  the  limestone  comes  quite  up  to  the  mountain,  into  the 
very  side  of  which  the  matinal  slates  (No.  Ill)  ascend  two 
thirds  its  height.  But  at  Shaw’s  gap  the  fossiliferous  up- 
permost layers  of  the  Matinal  (Trenton  No.  II)  limestone 
occur  200  yards  south  of  Mr.  Shaw’s  house,  dip  5°  S.,  and 
no  limestone  can  be  found  any  nearer  the  mountain  oppo- 
site Love’s  gap.  Limestone  has  been  opened  two  miles 
west  of  Shaw’s,  and  within  one  mile  of  that  end  of  the 
valley. 

“At  Bixler’s  tavern  in  the  east  end  of  the  valley  . . 
there  is  a so-called  marble  quarry  which  affords  a hard  solid 
dark-blue  limestone,  variegated  by  thin  veins  and  specks  of 
yellow  and  sometimes  white,  spar,  and  susceptible  of  a good 
polish.  Its  dip  is  15°  south  20°  east.  The  same  rock  might 
be  traced  through  the  valley  near  its  centre  line.  It  ap- 
pears at  Epler’s  tavern,  a mile  west  of  Bixler’s  on  its  north 
dip.”  [See  Report  on  Lycoming  county,  GG.] 

This  valley  is  a complete  labyrinth  of  underground  cav- 
erns, and  water  ways,  and  its  surface  is  prominently  marked 
by  deep  sink-holes.  The  stream  through  which  its  whole 
drainage  empties  into  the  Susquehanna  rises  from  a sub- 
terranean channel  but  a few  thousand  feet  from  the  gap. 

Ore : The  old  furnace  at  the  western  end  of  the  valley 
never  succeeded  in  developing  any  large  deposit  of  ore, 
and  numerous  shafts  and  prospecting  drifts  have  pretty 
thoroughly  demonstrated  the  non-existence  of  ore  accessi- 
ble in  workable  quantity. 

The  limestone  lies  very  close  to  the  surface  throughout 
the  valley,  and  is  easily  opened  for  quarrying.  A number 
of  kilns  have  been  built  and  are  in  constant  operation — a 
decided  improvement  upon  the  open  burning  plan  usually 
adopted  in  this  region. 


40  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Lamar  Township. 

§ 41.  This  lies  east  and  north  of  Greene  and  north  of 
Logan  townships.  Its  northern  limit  is  defined  by  the  crest 
of  Bald  Eagle  mountain. 

This  township  contains  the  eastern  end  of  Nittany  valley, 
and  besides  this  very  little  else  but  the  mountainous  strips 
of  No.  IV  which  enclose  the  valley. 

A very  small  portion  of  the  red  shale  valley  of  Cherry 
run  is  included  within  the  southern  boundary  of  the  town- 
ship. 

As  that  portion  of  Nittany  valley  in  Clinton  county  is 
best  described  as  a single  whole,  its  geology  will  be  given 
after  the  geographical  details  of  Porter  township. 


Porter  Township . 

§ 42.  This  lies  next  west  of  Lamar  and  north  of  Logan 
townships,  and  is  adjacent  on  its  west  side  to  Centre  cbunty. 
Its  northern  boundary  is  defined  as  the  crest  line  of  Bald 
Eagle  mountain. 

It  includes  a small  strip  of  Nittany  mountain  and  a por- 
tion of  Cherry  Run  valley  ; the  remainder  of  its  area  is  com- 
prised in  the  limestone  country  of  Nittany  valley. 

§ 48.  “ Nittany  valley  from  its  head  to  the  end  of  its 
southern  barrier,  Nittany  mountain,  has  a length  of  thirty- 
one  miles  ; its  breadth  varies  from  five  and  a half  to  two 
miles.  Its  central  region  goes  by  the  name  of  4 The  Barrens,’ 
beneath  the  surface  of  which  lie  great  accumulations  of 
rich  iron  ore.  This  part  of  the  valley  is  wholly  destitute  of 
water.  East  of  Belief  on  te  two  miles  the  “Barrens”  become  a 
ridge,  marking  the  main  central  anticlinal  axis  of  the  valley 
and  attaining  at  some  points  of  its  range  considerable  promi- 
nence, but  is  everywhere  rather  an  irregular  deeply -grooved 
high  ground  than  a definite  ridge.  Hard  ribs  or  outcrops 
of  impure  limestone  make  its  contour  uneven.  It  falls 
away  and  disappears  within  five  miles  of  the  Millhall  Gap, 
beyond  which  the  floor  of  the  valley  is  gently  undulating, 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  41 


except  near  the  base  of  the  mountains,  where  the  ravines 
are  sharp  and  deep.” 

The  Hittany  valley  anticlinal,  in  Clinton  county,  lies 
much  nearer  the  north  than  the  south  side  of  the  valley, 
its  north  dips  being  steep, — from  65°  to  90°, — its  southern 
dips  much  more  gentle. 

At  Mill  Hall  Gap  the  slates  of  Ho.  Ill  are  completely 
hidden  by  talus  from  the  hard  mountain  sandrocks  of  Ho. 
IV.  The  limestone  formation  is,  however,  well  exposed, 
dipping  strongly  to  the  north.  On  approaching  Salona  this 
steep  dip  rapidly  changes  to  an  almost  horizontal  inclina- 
tion. 

From  Salona  southeastwardly  along  the  road  to  Logans- 
ville  the  limestone  is  seldom  exposed.  Its  dip  is  gentle  to 
the  southeast,  but  on  approaching  the  mountain  rapidly 
increases,  and  carries  the  limestone  quickly  down  beneath 
the  slates  of  Ho.  III. 

At  Clintondale  the  ore- ridge  (uthe  Barrens,”)  is  still 
recognizable.  A considerable  quantity  of  pipe-ore  of  ex- 
cellent quality  was  here  mined  for  use  in  Washington 
furnace,  but  most  the  ore  used  by  this  stack  was  obtained 
west  of  the  Centre  county  line,  and  will  be  described  in 
the  report  upon  Centre  county. 

At  Washington  furnace  the  dip  is  60°,  S.40°E. 

The  ore  worked  at  Salona  was  mined  for  use  at  old  Lamar 
furnace.  This  stack  is  now  entirely  demolished.  The  mine 
is  about  200  feet  long  by  75  feet  wide,  and  from  12  to  20 
feet  deep.  Much  white  limestone,  somewhat  sandy,  is  ex- 
posed in  the  excavation. 

The  following  analyses  were  made  by  Mr.  McCreath  from 
samples  taken  from  this  bank.  The  sample  of  wash- ore 
was  an  average  sample  obtained  by  picking  at  random  over 
a large  area.  The  lump  ore  analysis  was  made  from  a single 
specimen. 

The  ore  occurs  in  a ridge  somewhat  resembling  the  “ Bar- 
rens,”* but  evidently  lies  too  far  north  to  be  a continuation 
of  that  belt  of  rock. 


42  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


44.  Analyses  of  Ore  from  Salona. 


No.  1. 

No.  8. 

Sesquioxide  of  iron, 

. 77.071 

74.785 

Sesquioxide  of  manganese,  . . 

. .030 

.030 

Sesquioxide  of  cobalt, 

. trace. 

trace. 

Alumina, 

. .593 

2.053 

Lime,  

. .630 

' .640 

Magnesia,  

. .468 

.508 

Sulphuric  acid, 

. .087 

.097 

Phosphoric  acid 

. .036 

.132 

Water  and  carbonaceous  matter, 

. 12.650 

11.978 

Insoluble  residue, 

. 8.380 

9.780 

99.945 

100.003 

Metallic  iron, 

. 53.950 

52.350 

Metallic  manganese, 

. .021 

.021 

Sulphur, 

. .035 

.039 

Phosphorus, 

. .016 

.058 

No.  1.  Kidney  or  Lump  ore. 

No.  2.  Average  sample  of  Wash  ore. 


The  percentage  of  phosphorus  in  No.  1 is  surprisingly 
small ; smaller  than  that  given  in  any  one  of  the  twenty- 
one  analyses  in  Prof.  Lesley’s  Nittany  valley  report  of 
1873,  and  in  only  two  of  these  latter  is  the  percentage  of 
phosphorus  less  than  that  shown  by  No.  2.  The  heavy 
percentage  of  alumina  and  silica  (“insoluble  residue”)  in 
No.  2 evidently  comes  from  the  clay  adhering  to  the  speci- 
mens. 


Wayne  Township. 

§ 45.  This  township  lies  immediately  south  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna river,  and  east  from  Lock  Haven. 

Bald  Eagle  mountain  traverses  its  central  portion,  and 
the  whole  southern  part  of  the  township  is  occupied  by  the 
mountain  which  separates  Nittany  from  Nippenose  valley. 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  43 


This  mountain  is  a broad  arch  of  the  massive  sandstone  of 
No.  IV,  produced  by  a flattening  of  the  Nittany  valley  an- 
ticlinal. It  is  deeply  gorged  near  the  centre  by  McElhat- 
ten’s  or  Mill  Run  Gap,  in  which  the  Lower  Silurian  slates 
of  the  Hudson  River  group  are  laid  bare.  The  erosion, 
however,  has  not  been  deep  enough  to  reach  the  limestones 
of  No.  II,  so  as  to  make  a third  valley  similar  to  Nippe- 
nose  and  Musquito  valleys. 

Mill  creek  is  a stream  carrying  a considerable  volume  of 
water,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  torrents  which  pour  from 
it  during  the  rainy  seasons.  The  gap,  when  viewed  from 
the  north,  is  quite  pronounced  ; but  the  back  divide,  which 
must  be  crossed  in  going  over  into  Sugar  valley,  is  rather 
high,  so  that  it  is  not  traveled  nearly  as  much  as  the  easier 
though  more  circuitous  route  by  Nittany  valley. 

The  dip  near  the  mouth  of  the  gap  is  about  35°  to  the 
northwest ; but  farther  up  the  gorge  it  is  impossible  to  find 
any  reliable  exposures,  everything  being  covered  under 
masses  of  debris  of  the  sandstone  and  conglomerate  which 
form  the  mountain  summit  ledges. 

The  north  slope  of  Bald  Eagle  mountain  is  of  quite  even 
contour,  diversified  only  by  three  indentations,  of  which 
McElhatten  Gap  is  the  largest.  The  others  are  called  Love’s 
Gap  and  Henry’s  Gap,  and  are  in  close  proximity  to  each 
other.  They  do  not  afford  any  good  exposures,  and  pre- 
sent nothing  of  geological  interest. 

The  dip  along  the  northern  foot  of  the  mountain  is  quite 
uniform,  varying  but  little  either  above  or  under  40°. 

The  limestone  of  No.  V (Niagara?),  which  has  been  quar- 
ried near  Lock  Haven  and  Mill  Hall  Gap,  has  never  been 
opened  in  this  township.  Its  outcrop  is  nearly  always  cov- 
ered by  a heavy  talus  of  loose  sandstone,  which  will  em- 
barrass any  large  workings  upon  it.  A close  search,  how- 
ever, might  result  in  the  discovery  of  some  places  at  which 
it  could  be  profitably  opened  and  quarried. 

At  Wayne  station  on  the  P.  & E.  Railroad  the  river 
makes  a large  bend  which  carries  it  a mile  and  a half  from 
the  mountain.  This  loop  encloses  a large  flat,  a mile  or 
more  wide,  composed  largely  of  drift.  It  presents  no  ex- 


44  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


posures,  but  must  be  underlaid  by  the  limestones  of  the 
Lower  Helderberg  Group  (Lewistown  limestone,  Onondaga 
and  Water  Lime  shales)  No.  VI. 

§ 46.  Pieces  of  Fossil  ore  are  reported  to  have  been  found 
on  the  mountain,  but  the  bed  has  never  been  opened  nor  is 
its  exact  place  of  outcrop  known.  Our  knowledge  of  the 
bed  in  this  vicinity  is  too  meagre  to  warrant  any  positive 
assertions  as  to  its  value. 


Allison  Township. 

§ 47.  This  lies  near  the  centre  of  the  county  immediately 
south  and  west  of  Wayne.  Its  southern  end  is  just  touched 
by  Bald  Eagle  mountain,  while  is  northern  border  is  skirted 
by  the  Allegheny  mountain  foot  hills. 

Immediately  south  of  Lock  Haven,  Bald  Eagle  mountain 
is  gorged  by  Harvey’ s Gap  ; which  however  does  not  form  a 
complete  breach  through  the  mountain,  only  piercing  its 
northern  half ; its  southern  half  is  partly  eroded ; but  the 
divide  between  the  drainage  into  this  gap  and  the  Nittany 
valley  drainage  is  a sharp  one. 

The  stream  flowing  through  it  is  utilized  as  a water  sup- 
ply for  the  city  of  Lock  Haven.  For  this  purpose  two  dams 
have  been  built ; one  at  the  mouth  of  the  gap  and  one  about 
half  way  through  it,  which  store  up  a considerable  quan- 
tity of  water ; but  during  long  continued  dry  seasons,  this 
is  exhausted  and  the  city  is  dependent  upon  the  small 
flow  of  the  stream  alone.  The  latter  sometimes  becomes 
so  low  that  recourse  is  had  to  the  river,  to  wells,  and  to 
small  streams  in  the  neighborhood  to  supply  the  deficiency. 

The  red  sandstones  and  shales  of  No.  V are  well  exposed 
for  quite  a distance  at  the  lower  dam  ; and  the  red  shale 
and  sandstone  of  the  middle  member  of  No.  IV  is  finely 
exposed  at  the  upper  dam.  The  dip  is  about  40°  north  by 
west  at  both  places.  No  trace  of  the  fossil  ore  was  observed. 

Slickensides. — The  silicious  sandstones  of  No.  IV  exhibit 
magnificent  slickensides.  The  striae  are  generally  straight 
and  parallel,  but  I have  seen  some  pieces  on  which  they 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  45 


were  curved.  This  curvature  is  generally  very  slight,  but 
on  one  block  I measured  a deflection  of  about  60 ° which  was 
produced  in  a curve  of  six  inch  radius. 

The  red  sandstones  and  shales  of  the  Clinton  group  (V) 
are  everywhere  found  along  the  north  flank  of  the  mount- 
ain. They  are  usually  fine  grained  and  micaceous,  and  fre- 
quently covered  by  casts  and  impressions  of  fucoids. 

At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  one  mile  east  of  Lock  Haven 
are  two  limestone  quarries  evidently  situated  on  the  same 
bed  that  has  been  worked  at  Mill  Hall,  and  which  probably 
belongs  to  No.  V,  occupying  the  horizon  of  the  Niagara 
limestone.  Both  the  quarries  are  opened  on  the  face  of  the 
stone,  or  parallel  to  the  strike,  and  “ strip”  rather  than 
“quarry”  the  rock. 

The  following  is  an  average  description  of  the  stone  ex- 
posed : 

A.  Massive  hard  blue  limestone,  ...  4 feet. 

B.  Thin  bedded,  argillaceous,  concre- 

tionary limestone, 5 to  8 feet. 

C.  Hard  massive  dark  blue  limestone, 

fossiliferous,  exposed, 6 feet. 

Large  veins  of  calcite — sometimes  18  inches  thick — tra- 
verse the  rock  along  the  cleavage  planes,  and  often  enclose 
large  water  worn  sandstone  pebbles  and  more  or  less  tritu- 
rated fragments  of  limestone  The  presence  of  these  peb- 
bles can  only  be  explained  in  two  ways  : 1st  the  river  may 
have  washed  them  into  the  crevices  when  flowing  at  a level 
40  or  50  feet  above  its  present  elevation,  or  2d  they  may 
have  been  triturated  and  worn  into  pebbles  from  angular 
pieces  by  subterranean  water  channels  in  the  limestone. 
The  former  theory  seems  more  plausible  than  the  latter. 

The  dip  here  ranges  from  85°  to  45°  north  by  west. 

Baird’s  quarry  which  is  the  most  easterly  of  the  two  is 
still  working,  but  the  other,  which  is  owned  by  the  city  of 
Lock  Haven  has  been  idle  for  some  time.  Though  the  lime 
yielded  by  this  stone  is  said  to  be  excellent  lime  for  agri- 
cultural purposes,  it  cannot  be  used  advantageously  for 
building,  on  account  of  its  of  rather  dark  color. 

Figure  5 shows  a curious  crimple  which  has  been  pro- 


46  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


duced  by  a land  slide.  The  contortion  has  taken  place  in 
the  soft  thin  bedded  limestone  or  calcareous  shale  marked 
“B”  in  the  section.  The  slide  has  occurred  in  the  di- 
rection indicated  by  the  arrow,  or  down  the  slope,  which 
nearly  coincides  with  the  dip,  and  has  resulted  in  altogether 
removing  the  upper  part  of  stratum  A,  over  the  lower  part 
of  which  the  calcareous  shale  B is  completely  folded  in  a 
peculiarly  shaped  crimple,  without,  however,  disrupting 
the  latter. 


The  line  of  fracture  can  be  followed  by  quite  a decided 
bench  for  some  distance  on  each  side  of  the  quarry. 

In  the  ridge  at  Farmington,  between  Lock  Haven  and 
Mill  Hall  there  are  several  exposures  of  a limestone  which  is 
probably  of  Lower  Helderberg  age,  but  it  is  possible  that  it 
may  be  the  same  with  that  opposite  Lock  Haven  which  be- 
longs either  to  the  Marcellus  shale  or  Upper  Helderberg 
group. 

No  measurement  of  the  thickness  of  these  limestones  is 
reliable,  as  the  truth  of  any  calculation  based  upon  the 
meagre  data  furnished  by  these  outcrops,  is  vitiated  by  the 
minor  folds  traversing  Bald  Eagle  valley  from  Mill  Hall 
to  Pine  creek.  One  of  these  axes  evidently  passes  through 
the  southern  edge  of  the  hill  in  which  the  limestone  is  ex- 
posed. 

The  shales,  slates  and  sandstones  of  No.  VIII, — includ- 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  47 


ing  the  Marcellus,  Hamilton,  Genesee,  Portage,  and  Che- 
mung,—are  finely  exposed  in  a series  of  cuttings  along  the 
P.  & E.  R.  R.,  and  have  been  carefully  measured  and  de- 
scribed in  the  Lock  Haven  long  section,  in  Part  II.  They 
contain  nothing  that  can  be  considered  of  economic  value, 
other  than  some  layers  of  flaggy  building  stone  in  the  Ham- 
ilton and  Chemung.  These  are  generally  too  ferruginous 
to  withstand  weathering  in  exposed  positions,  but  otherwise 
are  well  adapted  for  foundations,  rough  out-buildings,  etc., 
being  easily  gotten  out,  and  readily  broken  into  any  re- 
quired shape. 


Bald  Eagle  Toionship. 

§ 48.  This  lies  west  of  Allison,  is  skirted  on  the  south  by 
Bald  Eagle  mountain,  and  stretches  northwest  across  the 
Allegheny  escarpment  to  the  dividing  ridge  north  of  Tan- 
gascootack  creek. 

The  Bald  Eagle  mountain  is  fissured,  near  the  centre  of 
the  township  line,  by  Fishing  creek,  which  here  emerges 
from  Nitta.ny  valley  and  empties  its  waters  into  Bald  Eagle 
creek.  The  gap  presents  a tolerably  good  series  of  expos- 
ures, which  have  been  measured  and  affixed  to  the  Lock 
Haven  measurements  in  the  long  section. 

The  limestone  quarry  at  the  mouth  of  the  gap  has  been 
open  for  many  years,  but  was  never  very  largely  worked. 
About  25  feet  of  hard,  massive,  fossiliferous  limestone  is 
exposed,  dipping  nearly  vertically  to  the  northwest.  It  is 
probably  of  Niagara  age,  and  has  been  included  in  No.  V, 
in  the  section.  The  stone  has  been  used  for  agricultural 
and  building  purposes,  and  also  as  a flux  in  the  old  furnace. 

§ 49.  Mill  Hall  Furnace , originally  a charcoal  stack, 
subsequently  altered  to  an  anthracite  furnace,  used  the  Nit- 
tany  valley  hematites,  the  “fossil  ore,”  and  to  some  little 
extent,  the  “block  ore.” 

The  “fossil  ore”  was  opened  on  the  north  side  of  the 
mountain,  west  of  the  Gap,  but  was  only  ten  or  twelve 
inches  thick,  and  was  not  worked  very  largely. 


48  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


The  block  ore  was  opened  on  the  east  side  of  the  Gap, 
and  though  it  is  said  to  be  of  fair  thickness,  it  was  proba- 
bly rather  too  silicious  for  profitable  working.  The  dip 
here  is  very  steep,  varying  from  80°  to  90°. 

In  the  hill  northwest  of  Mill  Hall  the  limestones  of  No. 
VI  show  an  anticlinal  roll,  with  a southeast  dip  of  from  5° 
to  20°.  East  of  this  hill  they  have  been  entirely  eroded  by 
the  combined  action  of  Fishing  and  Bald  Eagle  creeks,  pro- 
ducing a broad  flat  basin  more  than  a mile  wide.  The  lime- 
stone has  been  quarried  at  two  places  on  the  west  side  of 
this  basin,  and  the  stone  shipped  on  the  canal,  but  it  is  not 
worked  at  present. 

§ 50.  Or isJcany  Sandstone. — Slight  traces  of  this  rock  are 
visible  along  the  Belief  on  te  road  in  the  western  part  of  the 
township.  Evidently  thin  and  friable,  it  presents  no  out- 
crops, and  its  presence  is  only  shown  by  local  patches  of 
loose  sand.  At  Milesburg,  in  Centre  county,  this  stratum 
is  finely  developed  as  a hard,  massive,  conglomeratic  sand- 
stone, full  of  its  characteristic  fossils,  and  is  well  exposed 
at  the  R.  R.  bridge.  At  Lock  Haven  it  is  wanting. 

At  Beech  creek  no  exposures  can  be  seen.  The  erosion 
of  this  stream  through  the  mountains  is  quite  sharp,  but 
after  leaving  the  Allegheny  foot-hills  its  valley  is  broad 
and  smooth,  and  near  its  junction  with  Bald  Eagle  creek, 
it  is  remarkably  flat  and  is  filled  like  Bald  Eagle  valley, 
with  much  alluvial  drift. 

That  portion  of  the  township  lying  north  of  the  Alle- 
gheny escarpment  includes  within  its  limits  most  of  the 
Tangascootack  coal  basin. 

Two  railroads  were  built  to  open  up  this  coal  field,  but 
they  can  now  scarcely  be  found,  the  rails  and  even  the 
sleepers  having  been  taken  up,  the  embankments  and  cut- 
tings now  support  an  undergrowth  that  is  rapidly  obliter- 
ating all  traces  of  their  former  existence. 

§ 51.  The  Rock  Cabin  R.  R.  ran  from  the  P.  & E.  R.  R. 
junction,  at  Farrandsville — where  a bridge  was  built  across 
the  river — up  the  west  bank  of  the  river  to  the  Tangas- 
cootack, and  thence  up  that  stream  to  the  North  Fork, 
where  it  made  a junction  with  the  Eagleton  R.  R.,  thence 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  49 


np  the  main  stream  to  Rock  Cabin.  From  Rock  Cabin 
branches  extended  to  the  Reavilleton  and  Peacock  mines.  ‘ 

§ 52.  The  Eagleton  R.  R.  ran  from  its  junction  with  the 
Rock  Cabin  R.  R.  at  the  North  fork,  up  the  mountain  by 
a.  series  of  switch-backs  to  the  high  land  between  the  north 
fork  and  the  river,  thence  it  ran  northwest  to  the  mines  at 
Eagleton,  a total  distance  of  about  12  miles  from  its  distal 
terminus  to  the  P.  and  E.  lower  junction  near  Queenstown. 

Both  branches  of  Tangascootack  creek  everywhere  cut 
down  below  the  base  of  No.  Nil  into  the  Pocono  sandstones 
No.  X,  but  no  trace  of  No.  XI,  the  Mauch  Chunk  red  shale 
can  be  found,  though  at  Farrandsville  it  is  represented  by 
about  100  feet  of  red  measures. 

The  sandstones  and  conglomerates  of  No.  XII,  are  par- 
tially exposed  in  numerous  precipitous  escarpments  along 
the  Tangascootack  waters,  but  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  a 
very  accurate  measurement  of  them.  The  “Farrandsville 
switch-back  section’’  (Part  II)  shows  the  general  character 
of  these  measures  and  can  be  taken  as  typical  for  this 
locality. 

§ 53.  The  Tangascootack  synclinal  is  a sharp  and  well 
marked  flexure  determining  the  course  of  the  creek  and  pro- 
ducing a deflection  in  Beech  creek  where  that  stream  crosses 
it.  Its  north  dips  are  very  sharp,  but  the  south  dip  (on  the  r 
north  side  of  the  trough)  is  rather  gentle,  and  is  marked  by 
a gradual  rise  to  the  north  both  of  the  rocks  and  the  gen- 
eral surface  level,  until  the  high  land  near  Eagleton  is 
reached.  The  dip  is  here  reversed  by  the  Furney’s  run  or 
Eagleton  anticlinal. 

The  following  facts,  which  are  mainly  historical,  bearing 
upon  the  coal  mines  of  the  township,  were  obtained  from 
Mr.  Nicholas  Mann  and  several  other  residents  who  have 
been  familiar  with  the  operations  in  this  field  from  their 
commencement.  These  have  been  supplemented  by  such 
information  as  could  be  obtained  on  the  ground,  but  this  is 
very  meagre,  as  all  the  works  are  rapidly  falling  into  decay, 
and  most  of  the  openings  are  already  closed. 

§ 54.  The  Iieavilleton — New  York  Coal  Company* s 

4 G4. 


50  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


bank  was  opened  about  1857  and  was  worked  at  intervals 
until  1870,  a large  quantity  of  coal  being  won  in  that  time. 

The  bed  averages  T 6"  and  lies  40  feet  more  or  less, 
above  a hard  massive  sandstone  which  is  a portion  of  the 
conglomerate  (No.  XII).  It  was  found  to  be  too  thin  for 
prolitable  working,  but  was  of  good  quality.  A charcoal 
furnace  was  erected  on  these  lands,  but  after  being  in  blast 
about  nine  months,  it  was  obandoned.  West  of  this  bank 
no  coal  has  been  opened,  though  it  undoubtedly  exists. 

§ 55.  The  Abram  Best  bank  was  opened  8 or  10  years 
before  the  Reavilleton  bank  and  has  been  worked  at  inter- 
vals ever  since,  but  as  the  coal  has  to  be  teamed  to  mar- 
ket, comparatively  little  has  been  taken  out. 

§ 56.  The  West  Branch  Coal  Company"  s bank  is  situated 
two  miles  east  of  Reavilleton. 

It  was  opened  by  Mr.  Spearing  in  1844  and  worked  by 
various  parties  until  1849  when  Mr.  Edward  Piper  leased  it. 
He  worked  it  for  three  years  and  took  out  most  of  the  best 
coal.  It  wTas  then  purchased  by  the  West  Branch  Com- 
pany but  they  never  shipped  much  coal  from  it,  and  noth- 
ing more  has  been  done  up  to  the  present  time  (1878).  It 
is  now  again  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Spearing  who  is  re-open- 
ing the  entry,  and  intends  to  completely  exhaust  it.  It  is 
reported  that  very  little  coal  remains  in  the  bank  that  is  of 
marketable  quality,  except  the  pillars. 

§ 57.  The  Rock  Cabin  banks  were  opened  in  1848-50  and 
worked  at  intervals  until  1870,  when  they  were  abandoned 
and  not  since  re-opened.  On  this  property  there  are  three 
beds  all  lying  within  an  horizon  of  100  to  125  feet.  The 
same  arrangement  is  shown  at  the  Queen’s  run  mines. 

These  beds  are  known  as  the  “ Four  foot”  and  the  “Three 
foot,”  the  lowest  bed  not  being  named,  as  it  is  too  thin  to 
mine. 

The  “ Four  foot”  is  very  sulphury,  but  the  “Three  foot” 
is  of  good  quality  and  is  the  bed  from  which  nearly  all  the 
coal  shipped  was  mined.  There  is  still  a large  quantity  of 
available  coal  upon  this  property  though  it  may  be  many 
years  before  it  can  be  profitably  mined. 

§ 58.  The  Peacock  bank  situated  on  the  Jas.  Wilson 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


Gf4.  51 


lands,  west  of  Rock  Cabin  was  opened  in  1865  and  tliougli 
a large  quantity  of  coal  was  taken  out,  none  of  it  was 
shipped,  and  large  dump  of  it  still  remains  at  the  bank. 

§ 59.  The  Eagleton  banks  were  opened  prior  to  the  Rock 
Cabin  mines. 

They  are  situated  on  very  high  land,  but  probably  work 
the  same  bed  as  the  latter,  though  the  seam  is  said  to  be 
thicker  than  at  Rock  Cabin.  There  is  still  a large  body  of 
untouched  coal  at  these  banks. 

The  openings,  having  been  abandoned  for  eight  or  nine 
years,  have  all  fallen  shut,  the  place  has  been  burned  by 
forest  fires,  and  the  settlement  is  again  a wilderness  ; no  one 
living  within  several  miles  of  it. 


Beech  Creek  Township. 

§ 60.  This  is  a large  township  lying  in  the  southwestern 
corner  of  the  country,  directly  west  of  Bald  Eagle  town- 
ship. It  ranges  from  three  to  six  miles  in  width  and  is 
more  than  twenty  miles  long. 

The  Bald  Eagle  mountain  runs  along  its  southeast  line, 
but  furnishes  no  exposures  worth  describing.  Fragmentary 
and  imperfect  exposures  of  the  Lower  Helderberg  lime- 
stones (No.  VI)  are  noticeable  along  the  valley  road,  and 
traces  of  the  Oriskany  sandstone  may  be  seen  at  several 
places  on  the  low  ridge  north  of  Bald  Eagle  valley. 

Beech  creek  forms  the  southwestern  boundary  line  of  the 
township  for  a distance  of  about  ten  miles,  but  does  not 
furnish  any  good  exposures.  It  drains  only  a very  small 
area  in  this  county.  The  central  part  of  the  township  is 
drained  by  Big  run. 

The  land  lying  east  of  Beech  creek  and  north  of  the  Al- 
legheny escarpment,  is  yet  a wilderness,  and  the  greater 
part  of  it  is  inaccessible  except  on  foot.  At  one  time  it 
was  full  of  lumbering  camps,  and  everywhere  contained 
wood-roads  that  could  be  traveled  with  comparative  ease, 
but  these  have  all  passed  away  and  it  has  relapsed  into  its 
former  uninhabited  state. 


52  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


There  are  undoubtedly  some  good  coal  lands  in  this 
region,  but  they  must  be  proven  by  private  enterprise,  as 
it  is  impossible,  in  the  present' condition  of  the  country,  to 
obtain  any  reliable  data  from  surface  examinations. 

The  western  end  of  the  Tangascootack  Basin  extends  a 
short  distance  into  this  township,  and  the  Eagieton  coal 
field  also  overlaps  it. 


Pine  Creek  Township. 

§ 61.  This  lies  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the  county,  adjoin- 
ing Lycoming  county,  and  directly  north  of  Wayne  town- 
ship. 

Pine  creek  runs  for  about  four  miles  along  its  eastern 
border,  and,  on  the  Lycoming  county  side  of  the  stream, 
furnishes  good  exposures  of  a portion  of  the  limestones  of 
No.  VI.  The  structure  is  complicated  by  two  overturned 
anticlinals  and  an  included  synclinal,  which  quadruple  the 
surface  outcrop  of  each  bed  of  limestone,  thus  greatly 
widening  the  valley. 

The  exposures  show  (see  Fig.  6)  Plate  V. 

Concealed  : soft  calcareous  shale  % 

Hard  massive  argillaceous  limestone  about,  100  feet. 
Black  calcareous  slate  and  shale  about,  . 50  feet. 
Shaly  impure  limestone,  some  good  beds,  150'  -|- 
Concealed  : beneath  anticlinal  axis, 

No  indication  of  the  presence  of  the  Oriskany  sandstone 
was  detected. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  creek  the  land  is  very  flat  and 
covered  with  much  fluviatile  drift.  It  presents  no  outcrops 
or  exposures  of  any  kind. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  township,  the  Catskill  is  a very 
prominent  formation,  producing  everywhere  the  striking 
red  color  that  is  characteristic  of  the  Allegheny  mountain 
outliers.  Though  often  exposed  in  the  small  streams  and 
ravines,  it  presents  no  good  opportunity  for  measurement, 
as  the  exposures  are  always  comparatively  small.  Frag- 


Aprofile  section  along  the  East  bank  of  Pine  Creek  showing 
Overturned  Antichnals  in  the  Lower Helderbern limestones. 


54  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


ments  of  the  fishbed  layer  can  easily  be  found,  but  the 
stratum  itself  was  not  found  in  situ  in  this  township. 


Dunstable  Township. 

§ 62.  This  lies  west  of  Pine  Creek  township  and  north  of 
the  Susquehanna  river,  and  stretches  north  to  the  Alle- 
gheny foot-hills  of  Pocono  and  Cat-skill  (Nos.  X andIX). 

It  is  drained  by  Big  and  Little  Plum  creek.  Neither  of 
these  streams  furnish  any  noteworthy  outcrops. 

The  limestones  exposed  along  the  canal  in  the  low  hills 
near  Lockport  are  rather  impure,  yet  contain  some  layers 
that  would  yield  a fair  lime  for  agricultural  use. 

Though  the  township  contains  some  good  farming  land, 
that  along  the  river  bottom  being  of  extraordinary  richness, 
it  is  barren  of  interest  to  the  geologist,  consisting,  as  it  does, 
of  rounded  hills  of  Devonian  rocks,  which  nowhere  are 
well  exposed. 


Woodward  Township. 

§ 63.  This  lies  west  of  Dunstable  township,  and  north  of 
the  Susquehanna  river,  and  extends  northwards  over  the 
basset  edges  of  the  Devonian  and  Sub- carboniferous  rocks, 
including  along  its  northern  edge  a portion  of  the  Carbon- 
iferous measures. 

No  trace  of  the  Oriskany  sandstone  can  be  detected  in 
this  part  of  Bald  Eagle  valley,  and  it  seems  certain  that  the 
rock  is  absent  from  this  part  of  the  county. 

The  Chemung  and  Portage  (No.  VIII)  are  not  very  well 
exposed  in  this  township,  but  line  exposures  of  them  are 
seen  in  the  R.  R.  cuttings  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 

The  Catskill  and  Pocono  (Nos.  IX  and  X)  afford  magnifi- 
cent outcrops  near  Queen’s  run,  which  were  very  carefully 
measured  in  constructing  the  Lock  Haven  long  section. 
(See  Part  II.) 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  55 


The  Marcellus  shale  is  laid  bare  by  roadside  cuts  and 
natural  escarpments  along  the  river  road,  just  opposite  Lock 
Haven.  It  here  includes  a series  of  impure  beds  of  lime- 
stone, which  have  been  tested  unsatisfactorily  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  lime.  They  Avere  quarried  quite  largely  and 
used  for  ballast  in  the  dam,  and  have  also  been  used  for 
foundation  building. 

At  first  sight  it  appears  as  though  these  beds  should  be 
referred  to  the  Corniferous  limestone,  but  they  show  none 
of  the  characteristics  of  that  rock,  and  are  underlaid  by 
black  slates,  lithologically  identical  with  the  Marcellus. 
Were  they  Corniferous  beds,  the  Oriskany  sandstone  should 
be  found  beneath  them,  and  in  the  absence  of  that  stratum 
they  should  lie  upon  the  Oriskany  lime  shales  or  upon  the 
Lower  Helderberg  limestones.  The  interposition  of  177 
feet  of  black  slaty  shales  at  this  horizon,  and  the  absence 
of  a corniferous  character,  fix  their  proper  position  as  cal- 
careous bands  in  the  Marcellus. 

They  are  again  exposed  along  the  canal,  a short  distance 
east  of  Lockport,  and  also  about  one  mile  east  of  town.  At 
the  latter  locality  a slight  downthrow  fault  is  beautifully 
exposed  in  a vertical  cutting  on  the  tow-path.  (See  Fig.  7.) 


Ihultin  limestone  on  the  Canal  near  Lockport. 


At  Queen’s  run  and  Farrandsville  a large  amount  of  coal 
has  been  mined.  This  coal  field  is  a continuation  eastward 
of  the  Tangascootack  basin,  and  contains  all  the  beds 
found  at  Rock  Cabin.  The  loAver  bed  is  not  well  developed 
at  either  place. 

Little  coal  is  now  taken  out  and  none  is  shipped,  nor 
does  it  seem  probable  that  there  will  ever  be  much  coal 


56  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


mined  from  this  basin.  Its  comparative  failure,  when  com- 
pared to  the  Snow-Shoe  district, — which  is  its  probable 
western  extension, — is  due  to  the  fact  that  owing  to  the 
shallowness  of  the  basin  the  “upper  bed”  of  the  latter 
locality  is  not  even  caught  in  its  highest  ground,  and  conse- 
quently all  the  coal  mined  is  obtained  from  the  lower  beds, 
which  yield  a much  inferior  article. 

The  trough  of  the  synclinal,  which  at  Farrandsville  brings 
the  Conglomerate  down  to  within  350  feet  of  river  level, 
rises  quite  rapidly  to  the  northeast,  so  that  on  Chatham 
run  the  coals  have  all  been  removed  by  erosion,  and  the 
Conglomerate  is  found  only  in  the  highest  ridges. 

The  upper  bed  furnished  the  best  coal  mined  from  this 
locality.  A fine  bed  of  fireclay  underlying  this  coal  fur- 
nished the  Farrandsville  brick  works  with  an  excellent 
brick-making  article,  and  this  was  especially  valuable,  be- 
cause it  and  the  coal  could  be  mined  together. 

The  workings  were  abruptly  stopped  by  a clean-cut 
fault ; a most  unusual  feature  in  our  bituminous  coal 
fields.  When  this  trouble  was  encountered  it  was  sup- 
posed to  be  an  upthrow  fault  entirely  cutting  off  all  work- 
able coal  beyond  the  headings.  If,  however,  as  Mr.  Platt 
lias  suggested,  it  be  a downthrow,  then  a large  body  of  coal 
and  fireclay  may  still  be  obtained  from  the  other  side  of  the 
hill.  I am  informed  by  Mr.  Platt  that  late  excavations  at 
the  old  workings  have  shown  that  the  coal  abuts  against 
soft  shale  or  slate.  This  certainly  indicates  a downthrow 
fault,  for  were  the  irregularity  occasioned  by  an  upthrow , 
the  hard  sandrocks  of  the  Conglomerate,  No.  XII,  would, 
in  all  probability,  be  found  in  juxtaposition  with  the  coal, 
whereas  a downthrow  would  bring  the  soft  Coal  measure 
shales  and  slates  down  into  the  same  horizon. 

Fireclay  of  fair  quality  was  also  obtained  beneath  the 
lower  bed,  i.  e.,  the  bed  immediately  overlying  the  Con- 
glomerate. The  middle  seam  was  not  worked  for  clay. 

Gallauher  Township. 

§ 64.  This  lies  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  north  of 
Pine  Creek,  Dunstable  and  W oodward  townships. 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  57 


The  old  Coudersport  pike,  at  present  entirely  abandoned 
as  a highway,  forms  its  eastern  boundary  line,  separating 
it  from  Lycoming  county. 

It  is  drained  by  Lick  run,  Chatham’s  run,  and  Queen’s 
run  all  of  which  are  swift  mountain  streams  and  have  been 
of  value  in  furnishing  outlets  for  the  large  amount  of  lum- 
ber cut  in  this  and  adjoining  townships. 

Nearly  all  the  land  of  the  township  is  high,  with  rough 
steep  side  hills  which  render  road  building  very  unsatis- 
factory and  quite  expensive. 

The  summits  are  capped  by  the  Conglomerate,  occasion- 
ally carrying  on  its  back  a thin  covering  of  the  Coal  meas- 
ures. This  is  always  so  thin  that  any  coal  that  has  been 
preserved  in  this  way  has  probably  been  rendered  worthless 
by  weathering  beneath  insufficient  covering. 

The  4 4 Hog  back  ’ ’ ridge  three  miles  north  of  Mr.  Springer’ s 
place  on  the  old  pike  contains  two  lower  coalbeds,  but  their 
area  is  limited  and  the  covering  is  quite  shallow. 

It  seems  quite  probable  that  the  lowermost  of  these  two 
beds  is  an  intra-conglomerate  coal,  as  it  is  occasionally  over- 
laid by  a rather  course  whitish  sandstone.  These  beds  may 
in  time  become  valuable  for  local  use,  but  as  the  coal  will 
largely  consist  of  outcrop  coal  too  soft  to  bear  much  hand- 
ling, they  can  never  be  looked  to  for  a marketable  supply. 

They  are  situated  in  the  Wetham  synclinal  (probably 
the  same  as  the  Towanda  basin),  and  are  not,  as  has  gener- 
ally been  supposed,  a continuation  northeastwardly  of  the 
Queen’ s run  and  Farrandsville  trough. 


Colebroolt  Township. 

§ 65.  Lies  west  of  Woodward  and  northeast  of  the  river. 
It  is  occux>ied  by  two  high  ridges  which  run  nearly  north 
and  south,  and  enclose  between  them  the  deep  gorge  of  Lick 

run. 

From  the  synclinal  at  Farrandsville  the  rocks  rise  very 
rapidly  to  the  north  until  the  northern  edge  of  the  town- 


58  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


ship  is  reached  ; the  dip  here  is  reversed  by  the  Eagleton  or 
Furney’s  run  anticlinal. 

All  the  high  land  of  the  township  is  capped  by  the  Con- 
glomerate sandstones.  These  are  subject  to  sudden  varia- 
tions in  this  locality,  often  thinning  down  in  thickness  and 
fining  down  in  coarseness  until  they  are  almost  as  gray  and 
fine-grained  as  the  underlying  Pocono  (No.  X)  sandstones. 
The  latter  are  beautifully  exposed  along  the  railroad  by  a 
series  of  cuttings  between  Queen’s  run  and  Farrandsville. 

The  Mauch  Chunk  red  shale  (No.  XI)  though  quite  a 
prominent  member  of  the  series  at  the  Farrandsville  coal 
mines,  is  not  found  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township. 

Three  or  four  beds  of  iron  ore  have  been  discovered  in 
the  Pocono  (No.  X)  at  Farrandsville,  but  they  are  rather 
thin  and  of  poor  quality.  Two  of  these  occur  in  thin  bands 
of  red  shale  near  water  level  at  the  furnace.  They  are  about 
twenty  feet  apart ; range  from  six  inches  to  one  foot  in 
thickness,  and  are  of  better  quality  than  the  other  beds. 

§ 66.  The  Farrandsville  Furnace  is  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantially built  stacks  in  the  State.  Though  it  was  built 
more  than  forty  years  ago  and  has  not  been  in  operation  for 
several  years,  it  looks  like  a new  piece  of  masonry.  The 
surface  of  the  stone  is  still  clean  and  sharp,  and  the  point- 
ing is  as  good  as  when  first  put  on.  The  walls  of  the  ma- 
chine shop  are  in  an  equally  good  state  of  preservation.. 

The  stack  is  54  feet  high. 

13  feet  bosh. 

170  horse  power  blast,  with  10  boilers. 

The  ore  used  was  mainly  fossil  ore  from  Montour’s  ridge 
in  Columbia  county  ; Nittany  valley  limestone  was  used 
for  flux  and  the  fuel  was  coke  made  from  the  lower  bed  of 
the  Farrandsville  mines.  Prof.  Rogers  gives  the  following, 
as  the  proportions  of  charge  used  in  October,  1839  : 

Hogshead.  Tons. 

. . 6500  2900 

. 3200  1428 

. . 3500  1565 

. . 4500  2009 

The  yield  was  about  50  tons  per  week. 


Coke, 

Fossil  ore,  . . . 
Larry  creek  ore, 
Limestone,  . . 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  59 


Grugan  Township. 

§ 67.  The  Susquehanna  river  runs  through  the  centre  of 
this  township,  splitting  it  into  two  nearly  equal  parts. 

Furney’s  run  and  Rattlesnake  run  on  the  east,  and  Back- 
er’s Mill  run  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  are  its  principal 
streams. 

With  the  exception  of  the  bottom  lands  of  the  river  flats, 
there  is  no  good  farming  land  in  the  township.  The  plat- 
eau soils  are  quite  cold  and  stiff. 

The  western  edge  of  the  township  skirts  the  Eagle  ton  coal 
field,  but  the  workable  area  within  its  limits  is  quite  small. 

On  Johnson’s  run  near  DeFranceville,  a thin  and  rather 
poor  coal  bed  has  been  opened,  but  the  entry  is  now  fallen 
shut  and  no  measurement  of  the  coal  can  be  obtained.  It 
is  evidently  the  same  bed  that  has  been  found  on  Mr.  Under- 
wood’s place  near  the  pike  in  Gallauher  township.  The 
trough  in  which  it  lies  has  been  called  the  Wetham  basin 
and  is  probably  the  equivalent  of  the  Towanda  mountain 
synclinal,  though  not  necessarily  continuous  with  that 
flexure  in  an  unbroken  line. 

The  exposures  along  the  railroad  all  show  a north  dip 
from  the  Furney’s  run  (Eagleton)  anticlinal  to  this  syncli- 
nal at  its  crossing  of  the  river  near  the  mouth  of  Rattlesnake 
run.  From  the  latter  locality  the  strata  rise  quite  rapidly 
to  the  north  (south  dip)  until  the  axis  of  the  Hyner  anticli- 
nal is  reached,  one  mile  and  a half  south  from  Hyner  sta- 
tion. 

The  Hyner  axis  brings  more  than  two  hundred  feet  of 
Catskill  red  rock  above  water  level,  but  the  strong  north  dip 
into  the  Karthaus  basin  soon  carries  these  rocks  down  below 
water  level.  They  probably  never  re-appear  to  the  north- 
west, for  before  reaching  their  place  of  outcrop  at  Emporium 
they  entirely  thin  away  and  their  horizon  is  occupied  by 
Chemung  shales  ; but  it  is  possible  that  the  knife  edge  ex- 
tension of  this  rock  may  be  found  above  water  level  near 
Driftwood. 


60  G4. 


REPOET  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Chapman  Township. 

§ 68.  Until  lately  this  was  a township  of  exceptional  size, 
containing  more  than  150  square  miles,  but  it  has  recently 
been  cut  into  two  townships,  one  of  which  retains  the  above 
name  ; the  other  is  called  Noyes  township. 

From  Reno  vo  to  Young  womans  town  (North  Point)  the 
Susquehanna  river  flows  but  a short  distance  north  of  of  its 
southern  boundary  line.  Most  of  its  area  therefore  lies 
north  of  the  river. 

§ 69.  The  Hyner  Anticlinal  axis  forms  the  high  land 
along  the  south  line  of  the  township.  Its  north  dip  amounts 
to  200  feet  per  mile,  carrying  the  Conglomerate  from  an 
elevation  above  ocean  of  2000  feet  on  the  crest  of  the  axis, 
down  to  about  1150  feet  in  the  centre  of  the  Renovo  trough. 

The  Karthaus- Renovo  basin  includes  all  the  land  of  the 
township,  but  it  contains  workable  coal  beds  over  but  a 
small  area.  At  Renovo  several  beds  are  caught  in  its  deep- 
est portion,  but  these  have  not  proven  valuable  ; northeast 
of  this  locality  the  axis  rises  so  that  in  the  country  between 
Paddy’s  run  and  the  Coudersport  pike  the  available  coal 
land  is  in  isolated  patches  of  small  extent. 

No  noteworthy  development  of  coal  has  been  found  north 
of  the  Renovo  trough,  for  in  that  direction  the  rocks  con- 
stantly rise,  keeping  the  Conglomerate  in  the  hilltops,  and 
producing  high  land  entirely  barren  of  workable  coal  near 
the  Potter  county  line.  This  region  is  still  an  uninhabited 
wilderness;  the  soil  is  either  tough  and  cold,  or  quite 
stony.  It  yet  contains  some  few  groves  of  good  pine  sticks, 
but  as  these  are  being  held  for  better  prices,  the  lumbering 
interests  do  not  at  present  furnish  much  labor  or  capital  to 
the  population. 

Glacial  markings. 

The  high  lands  near  the  Potter  county  line  should  show 
some  traces  of  glacial  action , such  as  groovings,  terraces, 
and  moraines ; but  I have  not  been  able  to  detect  any 
positive  evidence  of  the  former  existence  of  glaciers.  The 
roughness  of  the  country,  the  comparative  haste  in  making 
held  notes,  and  the  difficulty  of  making  a thorough  exam- 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  61 


ination  in  a wilderness  of  undergrowth,  may  have  contrib- 
uted to  this  negative  result.  It  is  possible,  however,  that 
the  action  of  the  Potter  county  glaciers  did  not  extend  over 
this  area,  and  that  their  markings  will  only  be  found  north 
of  the  county  line. 


Noyes  Township. 

§ 70.  This  has  been  recently  created  by  bisecting  Chap- 
man township.  Being  formed  from  the  western  part  of  that 
township,  it  lies  southwest  of  the  present  area  known  as 
Chapman  township.  Beech  creek  township  bounds  it  on 
the  south,  and  Leidy  township  adjoins  its  northern  line. 

The  highlands  formed  by  the  Hyner  anticlinal  occupy 
most  of  its  area  and  present  nothing  of  interest.  This 
ridge  rises  as  an  individual  mountain  far  above  the  average 
level  of  the  Allegheny  mountains.  It  skirts  the  river  from 
Karthaus  to  Hyner’ s run.  A short  distance  below  the 
latter  place  the  river  cuts  across  the  flexure  in  a sharp 
steep  cut,  with  side  slopes  of  from  25°  to  40°, — locally  pre- 
cipitous,— the  mountains  on  either  side  rising  to  a height 
of  from  1200  to  1400  feet  above  river  level. 

From  the  river  eastward  it  is  still  a well  marked  ridge, 
always  capped  by  the  sandstones  of  No.  XII.  It  becomes 
less  prominent  near  the  Lycoming  county  line,  but  the  run 
of  its  vertebral  axis  can  readily  be  traced  by  the  topo- 
graphical features  from  one  side  of  the  county  to  the  other. 

Though  there  is  occasionally  a thin  band  of  the  Mauch 
Chunk  red  shale  (No.  XI)  underlying  the  Conglomerate,  it 
is  seldom  exposed,  and  indeed  is  often  wanting,  for  in 
many  places  where  the  exposures  are  good,  the  Pocono 
sandstones  (No.  X)  can  be  seen  immediately  beneath  No. 
XII. 

The  Pocono  sandstones  are  often  finely  exposed  in  ab- 
rupt, precipitous  escarpments  along  the  Susquehanna 
river.  These  outcrops  often  occur  in  benches  or  steps,  giv- 


62  a4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


ing  to  the  mountain,  when  viewed  from  a distance,  a banded 
or  ribbed  appearance. 

The  river  bottoms  furnish  some  good  land,  but  its  area 
is  very  small. 

Karthaus  Coal  Company' s tract. 

§ 71.  This  lies  in  Noyes  and  partly  in  Chapman  town- 
ships. The  company  expended  a large  amount  in  opening 
up  the  property,  but  after  operations  had  been  continued 
for  some  time  it  was  found  that  the  coal  beds  were  too 
inconstant  in  thickness  and  quality  for  profitable  mining. 
Mr.  C.  A.  Ashburner  and  Mr.  C.  E.  Billin  made  a special 
survey  of  this  tract  in  1875.  Their  report  will  be  found  in 
chapter  V of  this  volume. 

Mr.  Ashburner’ s vertical  sections  show  a number  of  beds, 
all  of  which  are  more  or  less  valuable,  some  being  of  quite 
good  quality ; but  a series  of  test  holes,  drilled  by  the  ad- 
vice of  Prof.  Lesley,  has  shown  that  they  do  not  extend 
as  such  through  the  centre  of  the  tract. 

This  is  a feature  that  should  always  be  carefully  investi- 
gated before  opening  for  actual  mining,  any  coal  field.  The 
“show”  at  the  mouth  of  an  entry  will,  in  a majority  of 
cases,  be  found  to  represent  the  maximum  thickness  of  the 
bed.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  lower  coals,  i.  e .,  those 
immediately  over  the  Conglomerate  and  the  Intra- conglom- 
erate beds.  If  a bed  of  coal  is  quite  variable  in  thickness, 
changing  frequently  from  three  or  four  feet  to  one  foot  or 
less : it  is  evident  that,  other  things  being  equal,  the  smut 
or  blossom  of  the  bed  will  be  most  prominent,  and  conse- 
quently most  easily  detected,  at  those  points  where  the  bed 
has  a maximum  size.  At  these  places  prospecting  entries 
will  be  driven  in  ; perhaps  several  will  be  opened  on  the 
same  seam,  all  showing  a bed  of  about  the  same  thickness. 
In  such  a case  the  conclusion  that  the  bed  maintains  the 
size  seen  at  the  openings  over  all  of  the  available  area,  is  too 
often  and  generally  too  hastily  drawn.  The  Renovo  coal 
tract  is  an  excellent  example  of  such  a phenomenon.  The 
principal  features  presented  by  it  are  described  in  Mr. 
Ashburner’ s report. 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  63 


Westport  Coal  lands. 

§ 72.  These  lie  between  Kettle  creek  and  Cook’s  run,  on 
the  west  side  of  Kettle  creek ; and  on  the  east  side  of  the 
creek,  between  it  and  Shintown  run. 

The  openings  made  on  the  east  side  of  the  creek ‘have 
fallen  shut,  and  very  little  can  be  seen ; but  a seam  of  coal 
4'  3"  thick,  good  and  hard,  is  reported  as  having  been 
opened  by  Mr.  Hazzard. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  creek,  and  on  the  hillside  facing 
Little  Cook’s  run,  Messrs.  Merriman  and  Munson  have 
opened  up  a fine  seam  of  bright  black  coal,  five  feet  thick. 

An  entry  has  been  driven  in  upon  the  coal  for  a distance 
of  about  200  yards,  and  a cross-heading  driven  at  a right 
angle  to  it  for  a distance  of  30  yards,  more  or  less.  In  no 
place  in  this  opening  does  the  seam  measure  less  than  4' 
7J",  and  in  some  places  it  has  a thickness  of  5/  0". 

An  average  measurement  of  the  bed  shows  (Pig.  8) : 

Slate  roof,  hard  and  firm,  ....  — 

Coal, 6"  to  8" 

Bone,  not  persistent,  ...  2"  to  0" 

Coal, V 8"  to  2'  2" 

Slate  parting, \y  to  1" 

Coal, V 9"  to  2'  0" 

Hard  rock  floor,  — 


At  the  drift  mouth  the.  coal  measured  the  thickness  shown 
by  Fig.  9,  and  at  the  face  of  the  cross-heading  the  second 
measurement  was  made  (Fig.  10) : 


Slate  roof. 
Coal,  . 8" 

Bone,  . 1" 

Coal,  . 2'  1" 
Slate,  . 1" 

Coal,  . V 11" 


Slate  roof. 
Coal,  . 8 " 

Bone,  . H" 
Coal,  . 2'  0 " 
Slate,  . 1 " 

Coal,  . V 9 " 


ID. 


Another  opening  on  the  same  bed  was  made  a few  years 
ago  in  the  bluff  overlooking  “ Short  bend,”  in  Kettle  creek. 
This  was  driven  in  on  outcrop  coal,  of  which  about  6 feet, 
was  found.  It  is  about  three  fourths  of  a mile  in  an  air- 


64  Gr4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


line  from  the  new  drift,  and  ten  feet  lower  than  that  open- 
ing. The  new  drift  is  645  and  the  old  opening  635  feet  by 
barometer  above  railroad  level  at  Westport. 

The  seam  has  from  90  to  130  feet  of  cover  ; enough  to  in- 
sure hard  coal  were  the  bed  like  most  our  bituminous  coal 
seams,  but  its  structure  is  peculiar,  the  cleavage  planes 
being  very  numerous  and  very  close  together  causing  the 
coal  to  crumble  up  into  very  fine  stuff  before  it  has  been 
subjected  to  rough  handling.  Hence  the  great  importance 
of  proving  its  coking  qualities. 

An  analysis  made  by  Mr.  McCreath  from  an  average  sam- 
ple obtained  by  taking  specimens  from  every  inch  of  the 
bed  from  top  to  bottom,  (omitting  only  the  one  inch  binder 
of  slate  found  near  the  middle  of  the  bed)  is  appended. 
The  slate  band  was  omitted  because  it  can  readily  be 


cleaned  from  the  coal : 

Water  at  2250, .760 

Volatile  matter, 21.465 

Fixed  carbon,  . . 66.069 

Sulphur, 2.631 

Ash,  (grey,  pink  tinge  strong,) 9.075 


100.000 

Coke  per  cent 77.775 


Two  specimens  of  coke,  one  made  from  slack  coal,  the 
other  from  picked  lumps,  and  coked  in  open  hives  at  the 
drift  mouth  in  the  woods,  yielded  on  analysis  (McCreath) : 


No.  1.  No.  2. 

Water  at  225°, 1.000  .325 

Volatile  matter, 1.467  .760 

Fixed  carbon, 91.405  86.090 

Sulphur, 2.038  1.775 

Ash, 4.090  11.050 


100.000  100.000 

Color  of  ash : reddish-gray,  reddisli-gray. 


No.  1.  Coke  from  lump  coal. 

No.  2.  Coke  from  slack  coal. 

The  quality  of  the  coke  could  certainly  be  greatly  bene- 
fited by  a previous  crushing  and  washing  of  the  coal,  but 
it  is  impossible  to  estimate  how  much  of  the  sulphur  could 
thus  be  eliminated. 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  65 


The  coke  is  coherent,  moderately  porous,  with  metallic 
ring  and  lustre,  but  from  the  manner  of  coking  is  neces- 
sarily more  or  less  dirty. 

A shaft  25  feet  deep  was  sunk  to  a coal  seam,  thought  to 
be  the  same  with  the  one  above  described  which  reached 
only  outcrop  coal.  This  was  located  four  miles  IN".  W.  from 
the  drift  and  two  miles  from  the  old  Butler  road.  Another 
shaft  3 miles  from  the  drift  and  40  feet  deep  was  sunk  to  a 
bed  reported  5 feet  thick  and  thought  to  be  on  the  same 
seam. 

In  the  present  state  of  development  of  this  coal  property 
it  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  area  underlaid  by  this  coal 
seam.  From  rough  guesses  made  in  walking  over  the 
ground  I have  summed  up  about  four  hundred  acres  or 
more  that  is  high  enough  to  contain  the  bed  with  from  60 
to  120  feet  of  cover.  Whether  the  seam  will  maintain  its 
thickness  over  all  this  area  yet  remains  to  be  determined, 
and  this  can  only  be  demonstrated  by  actual  workings  on 
the  bed,  or  by  prospecting  bore-holes. 

A section  of  the  Coal  measures  capping  the  Conglomerate 
at  the  drift  is  given  in  Fig.  11.  It  was  compiled  from  sur- 
face indications  alone,  as  no  actual  exposures  of  the  rocks 
can  be  found  in  this  immediate  vicinity. 

* Westport  Section. 

Shales  and  slate  with  some  few 
sandy  layers  in  summits,  . . . 130' 

Coal,  opened, 5' 

Concealed,  shale  and  slate,  ? 15'  1 

Sandstone,  “ say,”  15' \ 55' 

Concealed,  shale  and  slate,  . 25'  J 

Coal  f prominent  terrace  with 
marsh 

Concealed,  soft  ’slate  and  shale,  . 45' 

Coal  f reported,  (no  indications.) 

Sandstone  and  conglomerate,  . . — 

5 G4. 


66  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


The  outcrop  of  the  five  foot  seam  always  makes  a promi- 
nent bench  by  which  its  horizon  is  easily  determined ; the 
“15  foot”  sand-rock  occurring  a short  distance  below  it 
and  the  conglomerate  and  sandstones  forming  a bold  bench 
and  rocky  terrace  100  feet  beneath  the  bed  are  additional 
and  valuable  guides  in  prospecting  for  this  coal  seam . 

Fifty-five  feet  more  or  less  beneath  this  seam  a. prominent 
bench,  marked  (when  on  the  right  side  of  the  hill)  by  swampy 
ground,  water  seeps,  etc.,  in  which  a bed  of  fireclay  may 
be  detected,  strongly  indicates  the  probable  existence  of 
a coal  seam  of  workable  thickness.  It  may  yield  a coal 
of  sufficient  hardness  to  bear  transportation.  But  until 
the  bed  is  opened,  it  is  impossible  to  tell  what  it  will  fur- 
nish. 

The  coal  noted  with  an  interrogation  immediately  above 
the  Conglomerate  (No.  XII)  was  not  seen  nor  was  any  indi- 
cation of  such  a bed  observed.  Its  place  is  indicated  in  the 
section  from  a legendary  rumor  that  a seam  has  been  found 
at  about  80  or  90  feet  beneath  the  five  foot  bed. 


Leidy  Township . 

§ 73.  This  lies  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  the  ccfunty. 
It  is  drained  by  Kettle  creek,  which  flows  in  a tortuous 
channel  from  its  northern  to  its  southern  boundary  line. 

The  township  is  yet  a wilderness,  supporting  a very  small 
population,  nearly  all  of  which  is  concentrated  in  the  val 
ley  of  Kettle  creek. 

This  latter  is  a large  stream  and  has  furnished  a good  out- 
let for  the  lumber,  not  only  from  this  township  but  from 
a large  portion  of  Potter  county.  During  high  water  it  is 
large  enough  to  run  half  rafts. 

In  going  from  Westport  northward  to  the  Potter  county 
line  the  same  topographical  and  geological  features  are 
noticed  that  are  so  prominent  on  the  Sinnemahoning  above 
Keating.  Near  the  mouth  of  the  creek  the  valley  is  very 
sharp  and  narrow  with  very  high  side  hills.  Farther  up 
.the  stream  the  gorge  broadens,  the  hillsides  are  less  harsh, 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  67 


occasional  flats  are  seen  at  the  loops,  and  more  or  less 
cleared  land  on  the  lower  parts  of  the  side  hills. 

The  red  shale  and  sandstone  of  the  Lower  Pocono  be- 
comes more  and  more  prominent  as  it  is  carried  higher 
above  water  level  by  the  Driftwood  anticlinal  which  appar- 
ently crosses  the  stream  near  Ox  Bow  bend. 

§ 74.  The  Ox  Bow  well , a short  distance  above  the  bend, 
was  drilled  for  oil  [in  the  summer  of  1878]  to  a depth  of 
nearly  1800  feet.  One  or  two  slight  oil  shows  were  ob- 
tained, and  gas  sufficient  to  fire  the  boiler  flowed  from  the 
well  during  the  last  800  feet  of  drilling.  This  well  started 
at  about  the  same  horizon  (geologically)  as  the  Hyner  well. 
No  record  of  the  drillings  was  kept,  and  no  trustworthy 
description  of  the  strata  passed  through  can  now  be  ob- 
tained. Mr.  James  David,  of  Lock  Haven,  states  that  there 
was  but  little  red  rock  found  in  the  well.  “Not  nearly  so 
much  as  we  had  in  the  Hyner  well.”  This  is  what  should 
have  been  anticipated,  from  the  thinning  away  of  the  Cats- 
kill  red  rocks  in  a northwesterly  direction. 


East  Keating  Township. 

§ 75.  This  has  been  formed  from  a part  of  Grove,  and  a 
small  portion  of  Keating  township,  and  lies  next  east  from 
Cameron  county. 

The  Sinnemahoning  river  passes  through  it  near  its  south- 
western border,  but  it  contains  no  other  stream  of  any  im- 
portance. 

Its  southeastern  corner  laps  over  into  the  centre  of  the 
Karthaus  synclinal,  but  the  hills  are  not  high  enough  to 
take  in  any  valuable  coals. 

At  Wistar,  between  Keating  and  Round  Island,  the  Wis- 
tar  Coal  Company  have  expended  a large  sum  in  attempt- 
ing to  mine  from  one  of  the  lower  beds.  Several  reasons 
are  currently  given,  explaining  why  the  undertaking  was 
unsuccessful,  but  the  true  cause  will  undoubtedly  be  found 


68  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


to  be  the  poor  quality,  thin  covering,  and  unreliability  of 
the  coals  opened. 

Several  years  ago,  a bed  of  coal  was  opened  in  the  moun- 
tain between  the  forks  of  Cook’s  run,  but  was  probably 
one  of  the  lower  beds,  and  did  not  encourage  any  further 
operations. 


West  Keating  Township . 

§ 76.  This  lies  altogether  west  from  the  remainder  of  the 
county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  northwest  by  Cameron 
county,  on  the  west  by  Clearfield,  and  on  the  southeast  the 
Susquehanna  river  separates  it  from  Centre  county. 

The  Karthaus  synclinal  trough  traverses  its  whole  length, 
bringing  down  into  the  hill-tops  along  its  central  line,  four 
of  the  regular  beds  of  the  Lower  Productive  Coal  measures. 
The  land  along  this  axis  is  partly  cleared,  and  some  of  it  is 
very  fair  farming  land,  but  north  and  south  of  this  area 
cultivated  land  is  unknown. 

The  First  anticlinal  axis  of  the  First  Survey  should  be 
found  along  the  northern  edge  of  the  township,  but  this  has 
almost  if  not  altogether  disappeared,  or  is  present  simply  as 
a very  minor  roll  on  the  south  side  of  the  Second  axis. 
No  trace  of  it  can  be  detected  on  the  Sinnemalioning  river. 
The  Second  Coal  basin  is  therefore  absent  northeast  of 
Clearfield  county.  This  fact  accounts  for  the  great  width 
of  the  Karthaus  basin  in  Keating,  Leidy,  Noyes,  and  Chap- 
man townships. 

In  this  township  the  width  of  the  deeper  part  of  the  basin, 
in  which  workable  coal  is  caught,  varies  from  one  and  a 
half  to  two  and  a half  miles,  but  in  consequence  of  the  local 
erosion  of  small  streams,  the  available  coal  area  is  compar- 
atively small. 

Many  openings  have  been  made  on  all  the  beds,  but  as 
most  of  them  have  long  since  fallen  shut,  the  following  de- 
scriptions are  necessarily  lacking  in  details.  Little  coal 
has  been  mined  from  any  of  the  banks,  but  this  is  owing  to 
their  distance  from  the  railroad. 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  69 


At  Rauch’s,  on  the  John  S.  Furst  farm,  near  the  upper 
branch  of  Three  Runs,  three  beds  have  been  opened.  The 
lowest  opening  is  entirely  closed  The  coal  opened  by  the 
middle  bank  may  still  be  seen,  though  the  entry  is  in  mis- 
erable condition.  It  is  of  fair  quality. 

The  upper  bed  was  opened  by  a shaft  30  feet  deep,  which 
was  not  accessible  when  visited.  A barometric  measure- 
ment, checked  for  the  details  by  hand  leveling,  gave  the 
section  in  Figure  12. 

Shale,  ......  30' 

*Elv.  715'  Coal— upper  bed,  . 2\  to  3' 

Sandy  and  slaty  shale,  47' 

Elv.  665'  Coal — middle  bed,  . 3' 

Shale  and  shaly  SS.,  37' 

Elv.  625'  Coal — lower  bed  . . V 6" 

Concealed,  ...  25' 

^ $ f Sandstone,  hard,  . . 20' 

g S I Concealed,  ...  15' 

£ § "I  Conglomerate  and  con- 
| glomerate  SS.,  iron- 
ed 'g  l stained, — exposed,  15' 

Below  the  u fifteen-foot”  Conglomerate,  the  measures  are 
quite  sandy  and  evidently  belong  to  the  Conglomerate  se- 
ries, but  no  good  exposure  could  be  found,  and  their  junc- 
tion with  the  Pocono  sandstones  was  not  determined. 

The  middle  bed  of  the  above  section  is  probably  a very 
fair  coal,  but  the  bank  was  full  of  water  when  visited  and 
only  the  soft  outcrop  coal  could  be  examined.  It  dips 
towards  the  south. 

On  the  Patrick  Sliowden  farm  four  beds  are  reported  as 
having  been  discovered,  but  only  one  of  them — the  upper- 
most— has  been  opened.  This  bed  lies  near  the  hilltop  and 
does  not  cover  a very  large  area.  It  contains  many  sulphur 
bands,  yields  a large  percentage  of  ash,  and  is  a very  infer- 
ior coal. 

A measurement  of  the  bed  gave  the  structure  shown  in 
Figure  13 : 


12. 


* Elevations  above  Keating  Station,  which  is  718'  above  ocean. 


70  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


Grey  shale  roof, — 13, 

Coal, 8" 

Slate, 2" 

Coal, 2'  2" 

Fire  clay  floor, — 

The  lowest  bed  is  overlaid  by  a hard  massive  sandstone 
and  probably  is  an  intra-conglomerate  bed. 

The  section  given  in  Figure  14  shows  approximately  the 
relative  positions  of  the  beds  reported  upon  this  farm. 
Their  outcrops  were  pointed  out  to  me  by  Mr.  Sliowden. 


Coal  (opened,)  . 3' 

Concealed, 60' 

Coal  (at  house,) 3' 

Concealed, 40/ 

Coal  smut, — 


Concealed — contains  hard  massive 


2 <2G> 


? 40> 


sandstone,  . . 
Coal  (reported,)  . 


The  second  bed  has  been  laid  bare  in  digging  near  the 
house,  but  I could  see  nothing  but  the  springs  that  come 
out  at  its  horizon. 

On  John  Rohen’s  farm  a bank  has  been  opened  at  an  ele- 
vation of  710  feet  above  Keating  station.  The  coal  is  ap- 
parently of  good  quality  and  measures  as  in  Fig.  15  : 

Shale  roof, — 15. 

Coal, 6" 

Slaty  coal, 6" 

Coal  (seen,) 2'  0" 

As  the  bottom  of  the  coal  was  not  visible  the  lower  bench 
may  be  considerably  thicker  than  2'  0 It  has  a fireclay 
floor. 

Another  bank  has  been  opened  on  this  farm  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  775  feet  above  Keating,  but  the  entry  has  long  since 


GEOLOGY  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


G4.  71 


fallen  shut.  The  bed  is  reported  to  be  about  four  feet 
thick.  These  beds  are  probably  the  same  with  the  two  up- 
'permost  beds  on  the  Sliowden  place. 

At  the  George  Rolien  bank  a coal  of  superior  quality  has 
been  opened.  It  is  a very  black,  lustrous,  cuboidal  coal,  re- 
markably free  from  sulphur,  and  is  said  to  leave  very  little 
ash.  It  has  been  used  for  blacks mithing.  to  which  pur- 
pose it  is  admirably  adapted,  as  it  has  only  thirty  feet  of 
cover.  Its  available  area  is  not  large.  A measurement  of 
the  bed  gave  (Fig.  16) : 

Sandy  shale  roof, — 

Rather  poor  laminated  coal,l'  2" 

Coal — good  (seen,)  . . . . V 10"  ( 2 ' 10? 

The  seam  is  said  to  be  4 feet  thick  but  only  three  feet  of 
the  bed  was  visible  above  water  line  in  the  bank.  It  lies  at 
an  elevation  of  820  feet  above  Keating  and  is  probably  a 
higher  bed  (geologically)  than  any  of  the  jireviously  de- 
scribed coals. 

The  “ New  Garden”  bank  is  opened  in  the  same  hill 
about  60  (?)  feet  beneath  the  Rolien  bank.  It  is  commonly 
reported  to  be  six  feet  thick  but  I do  not  think  it  will  be 
found  to  yield  much  more  than  four  feet.  The  only  meas- 
urement I was  able  to  make,  gave  (Fig.  17) : 


Slate  roof,  . . 
Coal,  .... 
Bone,  .... 
Coal  (seen, ) . 
Coal  (reported, 


8" 

2" 

2'  0 " 
r o" 


Its  elevation  is  760  feet  above  Keating,  making  it  60  feet 
lower  than  the  Geo.  Rolien  bank,  but  as  the  coal  dips  very 
sharply  into  the  hill  towards  the  Rolien  opening,  the  actual 
interval  between  the  two  beds  is  probably  80  feet. 

The  New  Garden  bank  was  opened  with  the  dip , and  op- 
erations were  soon  stopped  by  the  large  amount  of  water 
that  accumulated  in  the  entry.  To  mine  this  bed  success- 
fully, it  should  be  opened  on  the  same  side  of  the  hill  as 
the  Rolien  bank.  It  seems  probable  that  the  Rolien  coal  is 
the  same  with  the  Kartliaus  middle  seam. 


72  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


In  the  reports  of  the  First  Survey,  mention  is  made  of  a 
bed  of  limestone  underlying  the  New  Garden  coal.  I have 
not  been  able  to  find  any  trace  of  limestone  in  the  township, 
nor  have  I even  heard  rumors  of  the  existence  of  such  a 
bed.  It  seems  certain  that  either  the  hill-tops  are  too  low 
to  catch  the  Kartliaus  limestone,  or  that  stratum  has  dis- 
appeared. It  is  undoubtedly  absent  at  Renovo. 


Chapter  V. 

Renovo  Coal  Basin. 

BY  CHAS.  A.  ASHBURNER. 

§ 77.  That  part  of  Clinton  county  west  of  the  Susque- 
hanna river  and  Youngwomanstown  creek  lies  in  the  Kar- 
thaus  or  Renovo  synclinal.  It  is  the  continuation  of  the 
Second  (Johnstown)  sub -basin  of  the  First  Bituminous  coal 
basin  of  the  south-western  counties ; the  prolongation  of 
the  same  to  the  north-east  is  known  as  the  Blossburg  or 
Third*  basin. 

The  high  land  lying  between  Drury  and  Shintown  runs 
has  been  designated  for  a number  of  years  by  the  special 
name  of  the  Renovo  Coal  Basin.  Recently  the  name  has 
been  applied  to  the  entire  synclinal  within  the  limits  of 
Clinton  county,  and  has  become  synonymous  with  the  name 
Karthaus  basin  to  the  south-west  and  Blossburg  basin  to 
the  north-east. 

When  the  accompanying  topographical  map,  Plate  Y, 
(embracing  the  area  specially  known  Its  the  Renovo  coal 
tract  f)  was  made,  prospecting  had  been  done,  and  four 
distinct  and  well  defined  coal  beds  were  then  opened.  Ex- 
tensive improvements  were  made  to  develop  the  tract  on  a 
large  scale,  and  not  a small  quantity  of  coal  had  been  mined 
and  shipped  to  market ; but  operations  were  commenced  on 
the  wrong  side  of  the  property,;};  against  the  dip,  and  the 

*Name  adopted  by  Mr.  Hodge  of  the  First  Survey,  see  page  33. 

fTliis  map  and  the  facts  contained  in  the  report  are  the  result  of  a survey 
made  conjointly  by  Mr.  Chas.  E.  Billin  and  myself  in  the  early  part  of  Sep- 
tember, 1875.  The  examination  was  planned  by  Mr.  Joseph  Lesley,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  it  was  due  largely  to  his  judgment 
and  advice  that  the  survey  was  both  expeditious  end  thorough.  (C.  A.  A.) 

| The  mines  should  have  been  opened  on  Shintown  run  instead  of  Drury 
run  and  nearer  the  center  of  the  basin.  As  may  be  seen  from  the  elevations 
of  the  coal  drifts,  the  dip  of  the  strata  is  to  the  north-west  from  Drury  to  Shin- 
town run. 


( 73  G4.  ) 


74  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  C.  A.  ASHBURXER. 


coal  beds  proved  to  be  too  tliin  and  too  impure  to  be  either 
profitably  mined  or  economically  burned  as  a fuel. 

The  property  was  covered  with  transit  lines,  and  the  ter- 
races formed  by  the  strata  lying  between  the  coal  beds  were 
traced  from  the  Drury  run  openings  around  the  face  of  the 
mountain  along  the  west  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  river, 
and  then  to  the  north-west  along  Shin  town  run  to  the  center 
of  the  basin.  No  very  great  difficulty  was  experienced  in 
identifying  the  several  coal  beds  opened  on  the  east  and 
west  side  of  the  property,  and  thus  the  following  columnar 
section  of  the  coal  measures  was  constructed  : 

1.  Interval,  concealed, 15' 

2.  Coal  No.  5,  Dagusf  Kittanning  Lower , 4' 

3.  Fireclay,  , 

4.  Interval,  concealed,  . \ 

5.  Coal  No.  4,  3'  2" 

6.  Fireclay  containing  kidney  ore,  ....  10' 

7.  Shale  and  slialy  sandstone, 15' 

8.  Coarse  grained  sandstone, 26' 

9.  Interval,  concealed, 4' 

10.  CoalKo.  3,  . . 4' 

11.  Interval,  concealed, 26' 

12.  Gray  sandstone, 10' 

13.  Coal  No.  2,o 3'  2" 

14.  Hard  gray  sandstone,  and  shale,  . . . .33' 

15.  Coal  No.  1, 1' 

16.  Conglomerate,  25 '-|- 

§ 78.  The  highest  geological  strata  are  to  be  found  in  the 
center  of  the  basin,  immediately  above  drift  8. 

Coal  No.  5 was  opened  by  Mr.  E.  E.  Hazard  of  New  York, 
about  1868,  at  drift  8.  This  adit  was  driven  on  the  bed  for 
200  feet,  north  55°  east.  An  average  thickness  of  the  bed  is 
about  3 feet. 

A specimen  of  the  coal  was  sent  to  Mr.  A.  S.  McCreatli 
for  analysis,  the  result  of  the  examination  was  as  follows  : 

Water, 850 

Volatile  matter,  25.800 


Fixed  carbon, 
Sulphur,  . . 
Asli,  .... 


RENOVO  COAL  BASIN. 


G4.  75 


56.605 
7.245 
9.500 

100.000 

Coke  per  cent. , 73. 35 

Color  of  ash,  strong  pink. 

The  coal  contains  a very  large  amount  of  pyrites  in  thin 
seams  running  through  the  entire  bed. 

The  elevation  of  the  drift  is  1516  feet*  above  tide,  and  60 
acres  of  the  basin  are  covered  by  the  bed. 

This  coal  is  without  doubt  the  representative  of  the 
Dagus  coal  in  McKean  and  Elk  counties,  and  of  the  Kit- 
tanning Lower  coal  along  the  Allegheny  river. 

The  interval  of  92  feet,  Nos.  3 and  4 of  the  section,  is  al- 
most entirely  concealed.  It  seems  to  be  composed  princi- 
pally of  shales  and  slialy  sandstone. 

The  horizon  of  the  Ferriferous  limestone f is  about  the 
center  of  this  interval.  Limestone  has  been  variously  re- 
ported to  exist  on  this  property,  but  I have  failed  to  find 
any  limestone  at  Renovo  and  in  Cameron  county,  to  the 
west,  to  represent  the  ferriferous. 

Coal  No.  4 has  been  opened  at  drift  6,  on  Drury  run,  and 
drifts  7 and  9 (Sliintown  opening),  on  Shintown  run.  An 
average  thickness  of  the  coal  over  the  property  is  3 feet  2 
inches.  At  Shintown  opening  (drift  9),  which  is  on  the 
west  bank  of  Shintown  run,  about  half  a mile  north  of  the 
axis,  the  bed  measured  only  2 feet.  An  analysis  of  the 
coal  from  this  opening  showed : 


Water, 1.380 

Volatile  matter, 23.300 

Fixed  carbon, 55.033 

Sulphur, 1.043 

Ash, 19.244 


Coke,  per  cent., 


100.000 
. 75.32 


*On  Plate  Y the  elevation  of  the  drift  is  stated  as  1316',  it  should  be  1516'. 
f Clermont  limestone,  Report  R. 


76  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  C.  A.  ASHBURNEK. 


Color  of  ash, reddish  gray. 

The  coal  is  very  slaty. 

At  drift  6 the  section  was : 

1.  Slate  and  bony  coal,  2'  6" 

2.  Smut, 9" 

3.  Coal, V 8" 

4.  Fireclay, — 


The  coal  presented  a better  appearance  here  than  at  the 
Shintown  opening.  The  section  was  measured  very  near 
the  outcrop. 

At  drift  7 the  bed  was  not  seen. 

The  area  covered  by  this  bed  is  850  acres.  The  bottom 
of  the  bed  at  drift  6 is  1488  feet  above  tide  ; at  drift  7,  1423 
feet,  and  at  drift  9,  1536  feet. 

This  bed  is  the  equivalent  of  the  Clermont  coal  in  Mc- 
Kean and  of  the  Clarion  coal  in  Clarion  county. 

§ 79.  Strata  6 to  16  (inclusive)  of  the  section  are  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  POTTSVILLE  CONGLOMERATE  No.  XII. 
The  group  is  sub-divided  as  it  is  in  Cameron,  Elk  and  Mc- 
Kean counties  ;*  the  representatives  of  the  individual  mem- 
bers in  these  western  counties  are  indicated  in  the  follow- 
ing comparison : 


Strata  6 to  9,  (inclusive)=Johnson  run  sandstone. 

Coal  bed  No.  2=  Alton  Upper  coal. 

Strata  11  and  12= Alton  shales  and  sandstone. 

Coal  bed  No.  2=Alton  Lower  coal. 

Stratum  14=Kinzua  creek  sandstone. 

Coal  bed  No.  l=Upper  Marshburg  coal. 
Stratum  16=91ean  Conglomerate. 


XII. 


The  “ 25-foot  rode at  the  base  of  the  section  is  the  bot- 
tom of  the  Pottsyille  Conglomerate  No.  XII.  A water 
w ell  was  sunk  through  this  rock  and  into  the  underlying 
Mauch  Chunk  red  shale,  No.  XI,  at  the  head  of  the  incline 
plane  on  Drury  run. 

Coal  No.  3 ( Alton  Upper  coal)  has  been  opened  at  drifts 


* See  Report  R. 


RENO  VO  COAL  BASIN. 


G4.  77 


JSTos.  4 and  5.  The  elevation  of  drift  4 is  1486  feet,  and  the 
section  of  the  bed  is  as  follows  : 


1.  Coal, 2' 

2.  Slate, V 

3.  Coal, 8" 


At  drift  5 the  coal  was  said  to  have  the  same  thickness 
as  at  drift  4.  The  elevation  of  the  bed  at  drift  5 is  1468 
feet.  The  area  covered  by  this  bed  is  about  1790  acres. 

According  to  a statement  made  by  Mr.  L.  R.  Morton, 
superintendent  of  the  property  at  the  time  the  examination 
was  made,  the  best  coal  ever  found  was  that  mined  from 
the  upper  part  of  this  bed. 

Coal  No.  2 ( Alton  Lower  coal)  has  been  opened  at  drifts 
1,  2,  3,  and  10.  At  drifts  1 and  3 a section  of  the  bed  was 
not  obtained.  At  drift  2 the  following  measurements  were 
taken  : 

1.  Coal 

2.  Slate, 

3.  Coal, 

4.  Slate  (bony),  . . . 

5.  Coal, 

6.  Fireclay,  very  hard, 

In  some  localities  a small  coal  seam  10"  to  14"  thick  is 
found  7 to  8 feet  underneath  this  coal  bed. 

At  drift  10  the  coal  measured  34"  thick. 

The  elevations  of  the  openings  on  bed  No.  2 are:  Drift 
1—1383' ; drift  2=1393' ; drift  3=1450' ; drift  10=1400'.  The 
area  of  the  bed  is  about  2140  acres. 

Coal  No.  1 was  passed  through  in  the  water  well  near  the 
head  of  the  incline.  The  section  at  the  well  is  as  follows  : 


1 . Dark-gray  sandstone, 8' 

2.  Coal  No.  1,  1' 

3.  Conglomerate  (Olean), 25' 


4.  Red  shale  (Mauch  Chunk,  No.  XI),  . . . .23' 

§ 80.  After  the  survey  was  completed,  and  to  test  my 
conclusions,  the  Karthaus  Coal  and  Lumber  Co.  drilled  a 
hole  by  the  Diamond  drill,  near  drift  7,  to  a depth  of  207 


1'  9" 
3" 
9" 
2" 
3" 


78  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  C.  A.  ASHBURNER. 


feet.  The  record  was  kept  with  great  care,  and  reported  to 
me  as  follows : 

1.  Earth, 5'  0"  to  5'  0" 

2.  Fine  sandstone, 9'  0"  to  14'  0 ' 

3.  “ 24'  9"  to  38'  9" 

4.  Black  slate, 9'  10"  to  48'  7" 

5.  Coal  and  slate,  No.  4, 7|"  to  49'  2" 

6.  Dark  slate, 17'  9"  to.  66'  11" 

7.  Fine  sandstone, 4'  2 ' to  71'  1" 

8.  Slate  and  dirt, 3'  2"  to  74'  3" 

9.  Fireclay, 20'  9".  to  95'  0" 

10.  Red  fireclay,  . , 6"  to  95'  6" 

11.  Light  and  red  clay  mixed,  2'  0"  to  97'  6" 

12.  Red  clay, 4'  8"  to  102'  2" 

13.  Fine  sandstone,  5' 10"  to  108'  0" 

14.  Red  clay  marking  horizon  of  coal  No.  3,  ...  3'  2"  to  111’  2" 

15.  Fine  sandstone, 2'  9"  to  113'  11" 

16.  Red  clay, 2"  to  114'  1" 

17.  Fine  sandstone, 3'  7"  to  117  8" 

18.  Red  clay, 3"  to  117'  11" 

19.  Fine  sandstone, .„  . . 1'  10"  to  119'  9" 

20.  Red  clay, 3'  10"  to  123'  7" 

21.  Fine  sandstone, 7'  7\''  to  131'  2" 

22.  Red  clay, 4' 8*  " to  135'  11" 

23.  Fine  sandstone, 8'  9"  to  144  8" 

24.  Black  slate  representing  coal  No.  2, 10g"  to  145'  7" 

25.  Light  clay, 10"  to  146'  5" 

26.  Red  clay, / 8^"  to  147'  1" 

27.  “ and  sandstone, 8"  to  147'  9" 

28.  Fine  sandstone, 4'  6"  to  152'  3" 

29.  Red  and  yellow  clay, 5'  0"  to  157'  3" 

30.  Light  clay, 1'  3"  to  158'  6" 

31.  Red  and  yellow  clay, 3'  11"  to  162'  5" 

32.  Light  clay, 1'  7|"  to  164'  1" 

33.  Fine  sandstone, 28p  1|"  to  192'  2" 

34.  Hard  gray  sandstone, 14'  RH"  to  207'  1" 

The  comparison  which  I have  suggested  between  this 
record  and  the  general  section  will  be  found,  upon  close 
study,  to  confirm  the  description  and  rock  thickness  of  the 
section.  The  boring  was  stopped  at  the  base  of  the  con- 
glomerate. 


PART  SECOND. 


A SPECIAL  SURVEY  OF  THE 

SUB-CARBONIFEROUS, 

FROM  THE  ALLEGHENY  MOUNTAINS 

TO  THE 

CLARION-VENANGO  OIL  DISTRICT 

ALONG  THE  SUSQUEHANNA. 


Chapter  I. 

Introduction. 

§ 81.  The  Palaeozoic  column  of  Pennsylvania  rocks  lias 
long  been  thoroughly  known  in  Pennsylvania,  and  its  indi- 
vidual members  identified  with  and  in  some  cases  named 
from  the  corresponding  rocks  in  the  State  of  New  York. 
But  while  the  Coal  measures  proper  were  studied  and  their 
beds  classified  and  arranged,  and  the  Subcarboniferous  rocks 
of  the  oil  regions  identified  with  their  homologous  forma- 
tions in  Ohio,  the  true  relationships  of  the  Subcarboniferous 
in  Western  and  Eastern  Pennsylvania  were  not  satisfactorily 
determined. 

It  is  through  the  northwestern  counties  alone  that  the 
subcarboniferous  rocks  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York  can  be  actually  traced  by  stratigraphical  observations 
to  their  connection  with  rocks  of  the  same  age  in  Western 
Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  ; and  this  correlation  could  hardly 
have  been  made  prior  to  the  date  at  which  the  material  for 

(79  a.*) 


80  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


this  report  was  collected  [1878],  for  it  could  not  have  pre- 
ceded the  work  done  in  the  Coal  measures  proper. 

The  Bituminous  coal  fields  have  now  been  very  carefully 
studied  and  nearly  their  whole  area  has  been  described  in 
the  reports  already  printed,  so  that  from  the  face  of  the 
Allegheny  mountains  to  the  Ohio  line  there  are  few  unde- 
termined horizons.  As  a whole,  the  geologic  scheme  of  these 
measures  may  be  considered  almost  if  not  quite  perfected. 

Although  our  knowledge  of  the  series  underlying  the 
Brookville  coal  is  still  somewhat  defective,  the  results  ob- 
tained by  Mr.  Carll  in  the  Oil  regions,  Mr.  Ashburner  in 
McKean  county,  and  Prof.  White  and  myself  on  the  Beaver 
river,  together  with  some  additional  facts  given  in  this  vol- 
ume, go  far  towards  placing  the  stratigraphy  of  the  Con- 
glomerate series  in  a true  light. 

The  structural  geology  of  the  Oil  region  lias  been  thor- 
oughly discussed  by  Mr.  J.  F.  Carll  in  reports  I,  1. 1,  1. 1. 1, 
in  which  a local  nomenclature  is  adopted.  By  means  of 
numerous  well  records,  surface  sections,  and  tide  water  ele- 
vations of  quarries,  coal  beds,  etc.,  he  has  clearly  traced  out 
the  connection  between  the  Oil  rocks  and  the  Ohio  sub-car- 
boniferous rocks ; but  his  connections  eastward  with  the 
outcrops  along  the  Allegheny  escarpment  were  broken  by 
the  unexplored  condition  of  the  Sinnemahoning  region. 

Throughout  this  area — which  is  one  furnishing  poor  ex- 
posures— many  local  examinations  have  been  made,  but  be- 
ing disconnected  these  have  been  productive  rather  of  con- 
fusion and  often  of  serious  error. 

§ 82.  In  some  of  the  northern  counties  the  red  transition 
layers  called  Lower  Pocono  in  this  report  seem  to  have  been 
mistaken  by  the  geologists  of  the  First  Survey  for  the 
Mauch  Chunk  red  shale  No.  XI.  In  some  localities  they 
were  merged  in  the  Catskill,  No.  IX. 

This  latter  error,  as  I hold  it  to  be,  and  will  endeavor  in 
this  report  to  prove,  is  easily  made  ; for,  just  when  the  Red 
Catskill  thins  down  to  a knife  edge  and  disappears  the 
lower  part  of  the  Pocono  assumes  a characteristic  red  hue. 

The  fact  that  a heavy  red  rock  is  often  found  overlying 
the  Venango  oil-sand-group  has  led  to  the  inference  (on 


INTRODUCTION. 


G4.  81 


the  assumption  that  the  red  was  Red  Catskill)  that  the  oil 
group  is  of  Chemung  age.  B,ed  rocks  are , however , found 
between  the  oil  sands  as  often  as  over  them . 

But  it  is  to  a misapplication  of  the  theory  of  a universal 
thinning  of  these  formations  to  the  west  that  most  of  these 
discrepancies  are  due.  This  theory,  per  se,  and  in  its  broad- 
est sense,  is  undoubtedly  true  ; but  it  has  been  assumed 
that  if  the  formations  thin  in  a westwardly  direction  the 
diminution  in  the  thickness  of  each  stratum  must  be  ap- 
proximately proportional  to  its  relative  thickness.  That 
this  is  at  variance  with  facts  is  shown  by  the  sections  and 
measurements  given  in  Chapter  X further  on. 

§ 83.  I think  that  the  facts  presented  in  this  report  will 
show  that  the  Mauch  Chunk  red  shale,  No.  XI,  and  the  Red 
Catskill,'  No.  IX,  diminish  in  thickness  rapidly  from  the 
Allegheny  mountains  westward,  so  that  in  a few  miles  the 
latter  entirely  disappears  ; whereas  the  Pocono  (Vespertine 
No.  X)  thins  gradually  for  a few  miles,  then  maintains 
a nearly  constant  thickness  for  ninety  miles,  when  it  rap- 
idly looses  its  lower  half  by  a rise  in  the  Chemung  floor 
at  the  oil- sand  shore-line,  and  again  stretches  away  to  the 
west  with  a nearly  constant  thickness  for  one  hundred  miles 
or  more.  * Under  the  assumption  that  each  formation  feath- 
ered out  gradually  to  the  west,  it  became  necessary  to  find 
representatives  for  all  the  Pennsylvania  numbers  in  the  oil 
regions  and  throughout  Ohio,  but  attempts  to  do  this  seem 
to  have  resulted  in  perplexing  discrepancies. 

Among  other  causes  productive  of  erroneous  identifica- 
tions in  the  northwestern  counties  insufficient  palaeontolog- 
ical data  may  be  mentioned.  The  lines  of  demarkation  be- 
tween Subcarboniferous  and  Catskill  and  between  Catskill 
and  Chemung  fossil  horizons  are  not  uniformly  drawn  by 
palaeontologists,  and  as — from  the  conditions  essential  to 
the  growth  of  shell  fish — it  seems  certain  that  there  must 

*This  conclusion  of  mine  has  been  foreshadowed  by  Dr.  J.  S.  Newberry,  p. 
23,  Vol.  Ill,  Geol.  of  Ohio,  where  he  says:  “That  the  Vespertine  [Pocono] 
connects  through  this  gap  with  the  Waverly  of  Ohio , is  indicated  by  the  Wa- 
verly  fossils  found  continuously  from  McKean  county  to  the  Ohio  line;  but 
that  the  XJmbral  [No.  XI]  and  Catskill  [No.  IX]  do  not  reach  Ohio  seems 
demonstrable.” 

6 G4. 


82  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


(at  some  points)  be  an  overlapping  of  the  fossil  fauna  of 
one  formation  into  that  above  it,  the  structuralist  cannot  ac- 
cept unquestioningly  an  identification  supported  by  pal- 
aeontological evidence  alone. 

This  report  has  for  its  basis  a series  of  measured  sections 
made  at  short  intervals  along  the  line  of  the  Philadelphia 
and  Erie  railroad  from  Queen’s  Run  in  Clinton  county  to 
Ridgeway  in  Elk  county.  These  have  been  supplemented 
by  several  records  of  test  wells,  drilled  for  oil ; by  a few 
surface  sections  furnished  by  Mr.  C.  A.  Ashburner  ; and  by 
oil  well  records  from  Report  I.I.* 

* Prior  to  making  any  examinations  on  the  Susquehanna  river,  I was  directed 
by  the  State  Geologist  to  study  the  exposures  of  Devonian  and  Subcar  bonifer- 
ous  rocks  in  the  Allegheny  mountain  at  Altoona  and  Snow  Shoe,  and  to  collate 
any  facts  thus  obtained,  with  my  reconnaisance  sections  on  the  Lehigh  and 
Schuylkill  rivers,  where  the  typical  developementof  No.  X,  No.  XI,  and  No. 
XII  occurs.  The  data  thus  obtained,  together  with  measurements  from  the 
reports  of  the  First  Survey,  and  sections  from  other  sources,  have  been  incor- 
porated in  this  report  to  illustrate  the  structural  views  advanced  in  chapter 
VIII. 


Chapter  II. 


Strati  graphical  Description  of  the  Conglomerate  and  Sub- 
Conglomerate  Docks. 

§84.  The  Sub-conglomerate  formations  are  best  devel- 
oped in  and  around  the  anthracite  coal  fields,  where  they 
sharply  accentuate  the  series  of  the  Pennsylvania  numbers 
by  the  great  red  masses  of  No.  IX  and  No.  XI  which  meas- 
ure respectively  5000  and  3000  feet.  Between  their  expos- 
ures on  the  Susquehanna  river  in  Northumberland  and 
Dauphin  counties  and  their  outcrops  along  the  face  of  the 
Allegheny  mountains  there  intervenes  a strip  of  country, 
fifty  miles  broad,  from  which  they  have  been  eroded.  But 
they  can  be  easily  followed  from  Luzerne  county  through 
Lycoming  and  Clinton  counties  ; so  that  at  Lock  Haven, 
Snow-Shoe,  Altoona  and  Broad  Top  sections  have  been  ob- 
tained showing  most  of  the  rocks  from  No.  VIII  up  to  No. 
XIII. 

The  Mauch  Chunk  red  shale  No.  XT  is  thus  shown  to 
vary  from  3000  feet  at  Mauch  Chunk  and  1100  feet  at  Broad 
Top  to  283  feet  at  Altoona  and  100  feet  at  Lock  Haven. 
But  the  lower  red  band,  the  Bed  Catskill  No.  IX,  does  not 
diminish  so  rapidly  ; for,  while  it  is  5000  feet  at  Mauch 
Chunk  and  4172  feet  at  Catawissa,  it  is  2680  feet  at  Broad 
Top,  2560  feet  at  Altoona  and  2106  feet  at  Lock  Haven. 

The  following  tables  illustrate  these  variations  : 


Anthracite  Coal  Fields.  * 


XII.  Conglomerate, at  Trevorton  500,  at  Mauch  Chunk  950 

XI.  Mauch  Chunk, at  Nanticoke  400,  do.  3000 

X.  Pocono,  ....  % at  Catawissa  1044,  do.  1300 

IX.  Catskill,  do.  4172,  do.  5000 


*Geol.  of  Penn’a,  yol.  I,  Part  II,  chap.  3. 
(83  G*.) 


84  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


Bituminous  Coal  Fields. 

XII.  Conglomerate,  . . . Altoonaf223',  Lock  Haven  1C9',  Broadtop,*  280' 
XI.  Mauch  Chunk,  ...  do.  283',  do.  100',  . . do.  1100' 


X.  Pocono, do.  1274',  do.  1175',  . . do.  2133' 

IX.  Catskill, do.  2560',  do.  2106',  . . do.  2680' 


The  Conglomerate  series  is  much  thinner  along  the  Alle- 
gheny mountains  than  in  the  anthracite  fields,  but  its  rate 
of  thinning  is  by  no  means  constant. 

§ 85.  Having  shown  the  relationship  of  the  Lock  Haven 
section  to  the  synchronous  formation  in  eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania it  can  now  be  used  as  a key  to  the  formations  lying 
west  of  the  mountains. 

In  going  northward  from  Lock  Haven  up  the  Susque- 
hanna river,  the  descending  Hamilton,  Portage  and  Che- 
mung sandstones  and  shales  soon  disappear  beneath  the 
river  bed,  dipping  quite  sharply  north  by  west.  They  are 
very  beautifully  exposed  by  a series  of  long  cuts  on  the 
Philadelphia  and  Erie  railroad. 

Overlying  them  is  the  great  red  Catskill  formation  made 
prominent  and  easily  defined  by  its  accompanying  red  soil. 
It  measures  2106  feet  in  thickness  ; but  as  it  also  dips  rather 
rapidly  to  the  northwest  its  outcrop  soon  goes  under  water 
level. 

The  Pocono  sandstones  next  succeed  and  are  finely  ex- 
posed by  natural  outcrops  in  the  vicinity  of  Queen’s  run. 
They  form  the  main  bench  of  the  Allegheny  escarpment. 


* C.  A.  Ashburner,  1875. 

f F.  Platt,  1877.  [In  revising  the  harmony  of  these  two  sections  for  Mr. 
Platt’s  report  on  Blair  county,  I am  led  to  give  it  a very  different  aspect, 
and  one  of  great  interest  to  this  discussion.  It  seems  to  me  that  we  must  as- 
sume a base  for  the  Pocono  No.  X in  the  Broad  Top  section  at  the  bottom  of 
the  165  foot  sandstone  (No.  122  on  page  208  F)  and  not  at  the  bottom  of  the 
440  feet  of  soft  rocks  (No.  117)  ; for,  this  subdivision  of  the  column  is  not  only 
lithologically  proper  in  itself,  but  brings  the  Broad  Top  and  Altoona  sections 
into  much  closer  agreement.  The  resulting  measurements  are  then  as  follows : 


XII.  Conglomerate,  . . . Altoona,  223', Broad  Top,  280' 

XI.  Mauch  Chunk,  . . 283', 1100' 

X.  Pocono,  .....  1274', 1545' 

IX.  Catskill 2560', 3268' 


Showing  a remarkable  harmony  in  the  rate  of  thinning  of  the  two  formations 
westward  in  the  fifty  miles  of  interval  between  the  two  sections.  The  facts 
on  which  this  rectification  is  based  will  be  given  in  Report  T.— J.  P.  L. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  ROCKS. 


Gf4.  85 


Overlying  tliem  come  the  red  shales  of  No.  XI,  here  only 
100  feet  thick,  overlaid  by  the  Conglomerate  No.  XII. 

Two  miles  further  up  the  river,  the  red  shales  of  No.  XI 
entirely  disappear,  and  their  horizon  is  occupied  by  sand- 
rocks  lithologically  indistinguishable  from  the  Conglomer- 
ate. The  difference  between  the  Pocono  and  Conglomerate 
sandrocks  which  are  here  seen  in  juxtaposition  is  radical. 
The  former  are  generally  fine-grained,  though  occasionally 
coarse-grained  or  even  conglomeratic  ; but  the  grains  of  sand 
are  always  rounded , dull  and  lusterless , and  usually  of  a 
grayish  color.  The  sandrocks  of  the  Conglomerate,  on  the 
contrary,  are  composed  of  sharp  angular  grains,  usually 
white  or  yellowish- white  in  color. 

For  eight  miles  above  Queen’ s run  there  is  apparently  no 
change  in  the  Pocono  sandstones.  They  crop  out  on  both 
sides  of  the  river  from  stream  level  to  the  summits  forming 
the  hillsides  capped  by  the  Conglomerate.  At  Furney’  s run 
a few  red  bands  become  noticeable  in  its  lower  half.  These 
are  as  often  sandstone  as  shale,  and  the  coloring  matter  ap- 
pears to  be  local  as  regards  each  band,  but  constant  in  its 
relation  to  the  formation,  always  occupying  the  lower  half 
of  what  can  easily  be  recognized  as  Pocono  sandstone. 

At  Hyner’s  run,  Youngwomanstown,  Renovo  and  Keat- 
ing these  reds  are  very  prominent,  amounting  to  about  30 
or  40  per  cent  of  the  lower  half  of  the  formation. 

They  are  characteristically  different  from  the  Catskill  red 
bands,  being  disseminated  through  the  mass,  not  constant 
in  color,  often  changing  from  red  to  greenish-gray  ; where- 
as the  red  color  of  the  Catskill  bands  is  constant,  and  (as  will 
be  seen  from  an  inspec  tion  of  the  Lock  Haven  section)  is  the 
color  of  nearly  all  the  layers  of  that  formation. 

More  than  two  hundred  feet  of  Catskill  red  rock  is  brought 
above  water  level  near  Ritchie  by  the  Hyner  anticlinal,  and 
the  exposures  there  show  that  the  character  of  the  formation 
is  the  same  as  that  seen  at  Queen’s  run. 

The  Hyner  well  record  shows  that  there  is  but  little  more 
than  800  feet  of  red  Catskill  at  Hyner  ; a most  remarkable 
thinning  from  2106  feet  at  Queen’ s run,  which  is  only  about 
fifteen  miles  in  an  air-line  from  the  former  locality.  ^ 


86  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


This  rate  of  diminution  prolonged  in  continuation  of  a 
line  drawn  through  Queen’s  ran  and  Hyner  would  thin  the 
Red  Catskill  to  a knife  edge  before  reaching  Ox  Bow  bend 
on  Kettle  creek. 

The  exposure  of  Catskill  between  Ritchie  and  Hyner  I 
take  to  be  the  most  northwesterly  one  in  Pennsylvania. 
When  its  horizon  is  brought  above  water  level  at  Empori- 
um, and  in  McKean  and  Warren  counties,  no  trace  of  it  can 
be  found,  for  there  the  Lower  Pocono  sandstones  (often 
red)  rest  directly  upon  Chemung  shales. 

At  Keating,  Sinnemalioning  and  Sterling,  the  reds  of  the 
Lower  Pocono  are  quite  prominent,  often  forming  arable 
side  hills  of  red  soil  in  the  Sinnemalioning  and  tributary 
valleys.  The  same  features  are  noticeable  on  Kettle  creek. 
The  upper  half  of  the  Pocono  is  not  subject  to  as  much 
change  as  the  lower  layers,  but  preserves  its  typical  charac- 
ter far  into  Cameron  county.  It  usually  consists  of  hard 
laminated  fine-grained  sandstones  which  when  weathered 
exhibit  a peculiarly  foliated  structure,  they  are  seldom 
coarse-grained,  and  the  grains  are  never  angular.  They 
vary  from  light  gray  to  a dark  steel  color,  and  in  some 
localities  have  a distinct  greenish-gray  hue. 

At  Emporium  and  north  and  west  from  Cameron  county 
the  same  general  features  are  always  presented.  The  upper 
part  of  the  Pocono  becomes  rather  softer  and  more  shaly 
as  Warren  county  is  approached,  but  no  sudden  change  in 
its  thickness  can  be  detected. 

The  red  color  of  what  I consider  to  be  the  lower  part  of 
the  Pocono  holds  its  own  throughout  the  northern  part 
of  Elk  county,  and  is  again  found  at  Wilcox  in  the  reds  of 
the  Wilcox  test  wells. 

The  key  to  the  relation  of  these  rocks  to  the  Venango 
or  Clarion  County  Oil  Sand  Group  is  found  in  the  records 
of  the  Clarion  river  test  wells,  the  Nichols,  Cooksburg  and 
Tylersburg  wells,  etc.,  which  show  that  there  is  really  little 
change  in  the  thicknesses  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Pocono 
from  the  Ridgway  well  to  the  Clarion  County  Oil  Group. 
The  Kane,  Sheffield,  Stoneliam,  and  Tidioute  well-records 


DESCRIPTION  OF  ROCKS. 


G4.  87 


furnish  another  but  rather  less  satisfactory  connection  to 
the  terminus  of  the  Venango  oil-belt  at  Tidioute. 

In  the  oil  regions  Mr.  Carll  shows  that  there  is  compara- 
tively little  variation  in  the  thickness  of  the  oil  group  or 
in  the  shales  overiying  it ; indeed  the  measurements  from 
the  coal  rocks  down  to  the  Third  oil  sand  are  surprisingly 
constant.  From  Oil  City  to  the  southern  extremity  of  the 
Butler  County  Oil  Belt,  a distance  of  about  fifty  miles,  the 
interval  between  the  Ferriferous  Limestone  of  the  Lower 
Productive  Coal  measures  and  the  Third  Sand  is  always  be- 
tween 1140  and  1225  feet. 

A generalized  table  of  the  oil  belt  stratification  shows  : 


No.  XIII.  Lower  Productive  Coal  measures. 

No.  XII.  Conglomerate  measures,  [ mountain  sands,] 250' — 350' 

No.  XI.  Horizon  of  red  rocks  in  Clarion  county, 50' — 75' 

No  X £ Shales,  containing  Third  Mt.  Sand=Berea  Grit,  ....  350  — 400' 

* ) Oil  Sand  Group  with  interstratified  red-rocks, 300' — 450  * 


No.  VIII.  Chemung  sands  and  shales.  [Bradford  and  Warren  oil  sands.] 

In  Mr.  Carll’ s reports  it  is  shown  that  the  oil  sands  are 
replaced  by  shale  and  red  rock  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
oil -belt,  and  that  they  shore  up  on  a Chemung  floor,  sea- 
bottom  or  shore-iine  on  the  northwestern  edge  of  the  pro- 
ductive area  ; that  the  Second  oil-sand  stretches  further  to 
the  west  than  the  Third,  while  the  First  reaches  far  beyond 
the  Second,  and  that  the  heavy  red  band  above  it  extends 
as  far  west  as  the  Ohio  line,  and  is  apparently  synchronous 
with  the  Bedford  red-sliale. 

That  the  red  rocks  scattered  between  the  oil- sands  and 
replacing  them  to  the  east,  are  stratigraphically  continuous 
with  the  red  rocks  at  Wilcox,  Emporium,  Cameron,  Sinne- 
mahoning  and  Renovo  is  shown  by  the  sections  of  Plate 
VIII,  and  as  these  have  been  shown  to  be  of  Lower  Pocono 
age,  the  oil-sand  group,  with  its  overlying  red -band  must 
be  included  in  that  sub-division. 

This  nomenclature  when  carried  into  Ohio  is  not  at  vari- 
ence  with  the  views  advanced  by  Dr.  Newberry  who  holds 
that,  on  palaeontological  grounds,  the  Bedford  (red)  shale 
is  not  Catskill  but  Subcarboniferous.  Nor  is  it  in  opposi- 

* The  maximum  thickness  assigned  to  the  oil  group  includes  the  red  band 
overlying  the  First  oil  sand. 


88  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


tion  to  Mr.  Carll5  s conclusion  that  the  oil  sand-group  belongs 
to  the  Subcarbon  if  erous  era. 

The  change  noticed  in  the  lithological  character  of  the 
Conglomerate  measures,  in  passing  from  the  Allegheny 
mountains  to  Ohio,  is  less  than  that  of  any  underlying 
formation.  I have  endeavored  to  show  above  that  the  great 
variation  in  the  thickness  of  these  Subcarboniferous  rocks 
is  caused  by  the  Catskill  wedging  out  on  a Chemung  sea 
bottom. 

Although  the  Mauch  Chunk  Red  Shale  has  no  existence 
as  a red  formation  in  the  western  counties,  it  seems  to  be 
represented  by  a band  of  soft  measures  subjacent  to  the  Ohio 
conglomerate.  Sections  showing  this  identification  have 
already  been  published  in  report  W.  on  Clarion  county. 

Resume. 

No.  XII.  Conglomerate  series ; a group  of  sandstones 
separated  by  shale  and  slate  with  workable  coal  seams  in 
Western  Pennsylvania,  200' — 350'. 

No.  XI.  Mauch  ChunJc  Red  Shale ; locally  exhibited  as 
far  west  as  Edenburg  and  Sligo,  in  Clarion  county  ; contin- 
ued as  soft  shale  and  slate  in  the  western  counties,  50'=1=. 

No.  X.  Pocono  ( Vespertine)  Sandstone ; consists  of  two 
members  each  400'±  thick  from  Hymer  to  the  oil  country. 

Upper  or  gray  Pocono  ; quite  constant  at  about  400  feet ; 
consists  of  sandstones  in  the  east  and  of  shales  with  the 
Berea  Grit  in  the  west. 

Lower  or  red  Pocono  ; 742'  at  Lock  Haven,  and  grey  in 
color ; its  average  thickness  west  of  Hyner  is  about  400 
feet,  but  at  the  oil- sand  shore-line  it  loses  its  lower  mem- 
bers, and  measures  but  100  feet  or  less  at  the  Ohio  line. 

Its  percentage  of  red  gradually  increases  from  5 per  cent, 
at  Queen’s  run  to  75  per  cent,  in  McKean  county. 


Table  showing  the  proposed  nomenclature  of  the  Carboniferous  and  Devonian  rocks  of  eastern 

Pennsylvania  and  Ohio. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania.  Western  Pennsylvania.  Ohio. 

Carbonifer-  ( Coal  measures.  Coal  measures.  Coal  measures. 


SY1NW0MY. 


G4.  89 


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Corniferous  limestone.  Corniferous.  Corniferous  limestone. 


90  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHAKCE. 


The  following  table  shows  the  measurement  of  this  for- 
mation at  Various  points  between  Lock  Haven  and  Ohio. 


Ohio. 

Mercer  co. 

: 

Forest  and  Clar- 
ion co. 

Warren  co. 

Southern  Mc- 
Kean co. 

Elk  co. 

II 

Cameron. 

II 

Sinnemahoning. 

Hyner. 

Lock  Haven. 

Upper  Pocono,  . . 
Lower  Pocono,  . . . 

Total  Pocono,  . . 
Red  Catskill,  .... 

250'  + 
(75) 

~H- 

-H-H 

II 

300  -400 

o— wy 

322+ 

300 

407+ 

339 

425+ 

347 

410± 

450+ 

390 

600 

433 

752 

(waverly) 

300-400 

475 

850 

? — 750' 

700 

746 

772 

850+ 

990 

1175 

absent 

abs. 

abs. 

absent 

abs. 

abs. 

abs. 

abs.? 

826 

2106' 

JVo.  IX  Cat-skill  red  rock;  between  Lock  Haven  and  Hyner 
this  formation  thins  away  at  a rate  of  about  75  feet  per  mile, 
which  if  continued  would  soon  cause  its  total  disappear- 
ance. This  in  fact  occurs  some  distance  southeast  of  Cam- 
eron, for  at  that  place  the  red  Pocono,  as  I read  it,  rests 
immediately  on  a Chemung  floor. 

The  geological  synchronism  as  above  described  will  be 
shown  by  the  table  on  page  89. 


Chapter  III. 


The  Conglomerate  Measures  No.  XII. 

Throughout  north-western  Pennsylvania  the  Conglom- 
erate is  represented  by  a group  of  sandstones,  sometimes 
consisting  of  two  or  three  beds,  but  often  of  four,  five  or 
six  separate  rocks,  to  which  the  name  “ Conglomerate  Se- 
ries” has  been  given.  Its  sandstones  are  not  usually  con- 
glomerates, but  each  member  of  the  group  becomes  locally 
a conglomerate  over  some  area  of  the  north-western  coun- 
ties. They  are  generally  hard,  coarse-grained,  white,  yel- 
lowish white,  or  grayish-white  sandstones,  rather  loose- 
grained, and  are  often  much  stained  with  ferric  oxide.  The 
grains  of  sand,  when  coarse,  are  always  sharp,  bright  and 
clean,  giving  to  the  fractured  surface  of  the  stone  a dis- 
tinct and  easily  recognized  appearance  altogether  different 
from  the  Pocono  sandstones,  the  grains  of  which  (excepting 
the  oil  sands)  are  nearly  always  rounded,  dull  and  lusterless. 

Between  the  individual  members  of  the  Conglomerate 
sporadic  beds  of  coal,  iron  ore,  fireclay  and  limestone  are 
of  frequent  occurrence.  In  the  western  counties  these  be- 
come quite  persistent,  and  in  Ohio  are  so  regular  and  reli- 
able that  they  have  been  mistaken  for  a part  of  the  Coal 
measures  proper. 

The  compound  character  of  the  Conglomerate  I first  sus- 
pected in  the  fall  of  1875  from  the  data  obtained  by  a sur- 
vey of  that  formation  along  the  Beaver  and  Shenango  rivers, 
a full  description  of  which  is  given  in  Report  V.  Mr.  Carll, 
on  entirely  independent  grounds,  arrived  at  a similar  con- 
clusion the  same  year,  and  it  has  been  again  redemon- 
strated by  Mr.  I.  C.  White  in  Reports  Q and  QQ,*  and 
by  Mr.  Ashburner  in  Report  R. 


* In  which  reports  the  Conglomerate  Series  is  called  the  Beaver  River  Group. 

( 91  G4.  ) 


92  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


In  Clinton,  Cameron,  Elk  and  McKean  counties  the  series 
is  much  more  variable  in  thickness  than  in  the  western 
counties.  It  is  apparently  thicker  throughout  the  oil  dis- 
trict— especially  in  Yenango  county — than  in  Elk  or  Mc- 
Kean county,  and  is  thinner  along  the  face  of  the  Allegheny 
escarpment  than  at  Renovo  or  Keating,  but  from  Renovo 
to  Kane  its  thickness  is  apparently  quite  uniform. 

In  the  gaps  in  Chestnut  and  Laurel  ridges  in  Westmore- 
land and  Indiana  counties  Mr.  Stevenson  and  Mr.  Platt 
have  shown  that  Bed  A comes  much  nearer  to  the  sub-car- 
boniferous limestones  and  red  shales,  being  separated  from 
them  by  one,  coarse,  massive  sandstone  which  is  apparently 
the  Homewood  or  Piedmont  rock,  whereas  in  Lawrence, 
Butler,  Mercer,  Crawford  and  Yenango  what  is  supposed 
to  be  the  same  coal  bed  is  always  at  least  250  feet — and  gen- 
erally is  fully  BOO  feet — above  the  sub-carboniferous  (Po- 
cono)  shales. 

Over  what  extent  of  counties  this  condition  of  things  ex- 
ists cannot  be  known,  because  the  Conglomerate  is  deeply 
buried.  But  where  it  outcrops  along  the  Allegheny  mount- 
ain No.  XII  exhibits  its  usual  thickness  ; increased  to  500 
feet  around  the  Cumberland  basin  ; and  to  1000  feet  in  West 
Yirginia.  If  the  exhibition  in  the  Laurel  hill  and  Chestnut 
ridge  gaps  be  significant  of  the  character  of  the  whole  cen- 
tral region,  it  indicates  that  the  lower  members  of  the  Con- 
glomerate group  were  deposited  only  around  the  margin  of 
the  Coal  field,  and  that  only  the  upper  member  was  depos- 
ited universally  over  the  whole  Coal  field. 

§ 86.  The  following  statement  of  observations  made  along 
the  valley  of  the  West  Branch  Susquehanna  will  give  a 
clearer  notion  of  the  condition  of  the  formation  in  the 
north. 

On  Queen' s Run  there  is  a local  re-placement  of  the 
lower  part  of  No.  XII  by  the  red  shales  of  No.  XI,  its  total 
thickness  measuring  but  129  feet.  In  less  than  a mile,  the 
red  shale  totally  disappears  and  in  its  horizon  are  hard 
massive  sandstones,  evidently  belonging  to  the  Conglom- 
erate measures. 

At  Farrandsmlle , on  the  Switch-back  railroad,  there  is 


CONGLOMERATE  MEASURES. 


G4.  93 


about  220  feet  of  sandstones  belonging  to  No.  XII.  The 
lowermost  70  feet  of  this  has  a transitional  character,  being 
lithologically  neither  Pocono  nor  Conglomerate.  No  sign 
of  the  Mauch  Chunk  Red  Shale  can  be  detected  on  this  side 
of  the  river.  From  Farrandsville  northward  to  Furney?s 
run  no  reliable  section  of  No.  XII  can  be  obtained. 

At  Glen  Union  the  conglomerate  has  a thickness  of  about 
220  feet,  120  feet  of  which  is  well  exposed.  It  is  imme- 
diately underlaid  by  hard  grey  Pocono  sandstone. 

On  Rattlesnake  Run  near  Wetham  similar  exposures  can 
be  seen  in  several  places  but  no  continuous  section  of  the 
group  (No.  XII)  was  obtainable. 

From  Hyner  to  Renovo , and  for  some  distance  west  of 
the  latter  place,  the  lower  member  of  the  group  is  a hard 
massive  sandstone  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  thick,  always 
making  a prominent  bench  terrace  at  its  out  crop.  Above 
this  stratum  there  are  three  massive  beds  of  hard  whitish 
sandstone,  parted  by  bands  of  soft  shale.  A thin  coal  seam 
occurs  between  the  uppermost  rock  and  that  beneath  it. 
At  Renovo  the  total  thickness  of  the  group  is  245  feet. 

At  Keating  the  exposures  are  very  imperfect,  but  enough 
was  seen  to  determine  the  total  measurement  of  the  group, 
(which  is  composed  of  live  or  six  sandstones),  to  be  about 
250  feet.  A thin  coal  bed  here  underlies  the  top  rock  of 
the  group,  and  a bed  of  bituminous  shale  or  impure  coal  is 
found  beneath  the  second  stratum. 

At  Sinnemahoning  the  top  member  of  the  series  lies 
higher  than  the  hill-tops.  Three  bands  of  hard,  coarse 
grained  sandstone  included  in  an  interval  of  200  feet,  cap 
the  highest  hills.  They  contain  no  coal  beds.  Immediately 
beneath  them  are  the  hard  gray  Pocono  sandstones,  which 
crop  out  in  bold  cliffs  from  50  to  seventy  feet  high.  A trace 
of  the  Mauch  Chunk  Red  Shale  was  noticed  on  top  these 
cliffs,  but  it  cannot  exceed  five  or  ten  feet  in  thickness. 

At  Sterling  there  are  very  similar  exposures  of  the  Con- 
glomerate group  but  the  gray  Pocono  sandstones  are  not  so 
prominent  as  at  Sinnemahoning.  This  is  probably  due  to 
difference  in  erosion,  and  not  to  any  lithological  change  in 
the  formation. 


94  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


At  Cameron  the  exposures  are  poor.  A mass  of  sandy 
measures  nearly  200  feet  thick  underlies  the  lowest  coal 
bed.  This  bed  probably  belongs  to  the  group,  and  it  is 
possible  that  the  two  or  three  lower  coals  should  be  in- 
cluded in  it,  swelling  its  measurement  to  ever  250  feet. 

From  Cameron  to  Emporium  the  rise  is  very  rapid,  aver- 
aging probably  about  250  or  300  feet  per  mile,  which  carries 
the  Conglomerate  up  so  rapidly  that  before  reaching  Em- 
porium it  passes  out  of  the  hill- tops.  At  Cameron  no  red 
is  noticeable  beneath  it,  but  three  miles  further  up  the 
stream  it  is  underlaid  by  at  least  twenty  feet  of  the  Mauch 
Chunk  Red  Shale. 

At  Rathbun  the  base  of  the  series  lies  from  350  to  400 
feet  above  railroad  level.  Three  bands  of  hard  coarse 
sandstone  are  partly  exposed.  In  the  upper  interval  a thin 
coal  bed  has  been  found. 

At  St.  Alary  s there  is  about  210  feet  which  M.  Ash- 
burner  refers  to  the  Conglomerate  measures.  This  interval 
includes  four  sandy  horizons  and  three  thin  coal  seams. 
The  coals  are  all  only  locally  workable,  but  have  been  mined 
quite  largely.  The  conglomerate  here  rests  on  local  patches 
of  the  Mauch  Chunk  Red  Shale. 

Throughout  Ale  Kean  County  Mr.  Ashbnrner  finds  that 
the  Conglomerate  group  is  composed  of  three  or  more  sand- 
stones, the  lower  member  being  the  coarse  Olean  conglomer- 
ate (although  that  rock  is  often  a fine-grained  sandstone) 
separated  by  shales  and  slates  with  coals  of  workable  thick- 
ness. He  estimates  the  total  measurement  of  the  group  to 
be  from  ISO  to  220  feet.  It  probably  approximates  the 
latter  figure  over  the  greater  part  of  the  county. 

At  Kinzua  on  the  Allegheny  River  in  Warren  county, 
there  is  a magnificent  exposure  of  this  group  and  the  under- 
lying rocks.  The  group  throughout  contains  an  extraordi- 
nary amount  of  conglomerate.  Its  lowest  member,  the 
Olean  conglomerate  (Second  mountain  sand  or  Ohio  con- 
glomerate) is  a solid  mass  of  conglomerate,  very  coarse  at 
the  base,  and  outcrops  in  vertical  cliffs  from  77  to  80  feet 
high.  Its  total  measurement  is  over  350  feet. 

In  the  oil  regions  of  Yenango  county  Mr.  Carll  makes  his 


CONGLOMERATE  MEASURES. 


G4.  95 


Mountain  Sandstone  (No.  XII)  series  about  400  feet  thick 
by  lowering  its  base  so  as  to  include  the  Shenango  sand- 
stone (Sub-olean  conglomerate.) 

As  the  character  of  the  group  in  the  western  counties  has 
already  been  discussed  in  Report  V,  no  further  description 
of  it  is  necessary.  The  following  table  shows  the  relation 
of  these  rocks  to  the  overlying  coal  measures  of  the  western 
counties : 


Freeport  coal  group, ; j Allegheny  River  Series  of 

XIII. 


f 


No. 


Kit  tanning  coal  group, 

Clarion  coal  group, 

Homewood  sandstone, 

Mercer  coal  group,  , 

Connoquenessing  sandstones,  . ...  [ 

Sharon  coal  group, j 

Sharon,  Garland,  Olean  Conglomerate,  J 


Conglomerate  Se- 
ries No.  XII. 


Chapter  IV. 

MaucJi  Chunk  ( Umbral ) Red  Shale,  No-.  XI. 

§ 87.  A thickness  of  one  hundred  feet  has  been  assigned 
to  this  formation  in  the  Lock  Haven  section,  but  this  thick- 
ness is  purely  local,  as  the  rock  thins  away  to  nothing  in  a 
distance  of  from  one  and  a half  to  two  miles,  and  its  hori- 
zon is  there  occupied  by  the  lower  members  of  the  Con- 
glomerate. 

It  is  possible  that  west  of  the  Allegheny  escarpment,  the 
only  part  of  this  formation  present  is  the  uppermost  por- 
tion, which  would  correspond  to  the  transition  layers  in 
the  east. 

At  Snow  Shoe  there  is  certainly  more  than  one  hundred 
feet  of  red  shale  at  this  horizon,  but  it  is  impossible  to 
make  an  accurate  measurement  of  it  in  that  locality. 

At  Altoona  it  is  much  thicker,  approximating  three  hun- 
dred feet.  Going  eastward  it  rapidly  thickens,  until  at 
Broad  Top  it  measures  1100  feet.  The  presence  of  lime- 


96  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

stones,  together  with  its  rapid  increase  in  thickness  at  the 
latter  place,  may  indicate  that  in  this  direction  the  basin 
deepened  rapidly.  South  and  south-west  from  Altoona 
it  is  also  probable  that  there  was  a comparatively  deep 
basin  during  this  period,  but  to  the  north  and  north-west 
the  sea  shoaled,  and  was  disturbed  by  swift  currents  which 
ushered  in  the  Conglomerate  epoch. 

On  the  Tangascootack  no  red  shale  has  ever  been  found, 
but  on  the  eastern  face  of  the  mountains  near  Revilletown 
it  is  from  50  to  100  feet  thick.  At  Glen  Union  and  Wetliam 
it  could  not  be  detected,  but  as  the  exposures  are  quite 
poor  for  some  distance  beneath  the  Conglomerate,  its  out- 
crop may  be  hidden. 

A very  thin  band  of  red  shale  underlies  the  Conglom- 
erate at  Hyner,  but  it  was  not  visible  at  Keating,  Sterling 
or  Cameron. 

At  Sinnemahoning  and  at  Emporium  a thin  layer  of  red 
shale  or  red  clay  frequently  occurs  at  this  horizon  on  the 
hilltops,  making  small  areas  of  red  soil. 

It  is  also  seen  at  St.  Mary’s  and  at  Johnsonburg,  but  is 
so  thin  and  so  inconstant  that  to  speak  of  it  as  a continu- 
ous formation  is  hardly  justifiable. 

West  of  the  Johnsonburg  (Elk  county)  Coal  Basin  it  is 
not  often  seen.  It  has  been  found  in  the  oil  regions  as  far 
west  as  Edenburg.  It  is  not  recognized  in  Ohio,  but  it  may 
be  represented  by  the  soft  grayish  shales  found  immedi- 
ately beneath  the  Ohio  (Sharon)  Conglomerate.* 

Its  western  limit  as  a red  shale  may  therefore  be  placed 
at  the  Sixth  Coal  Basin. 

South-west  of  this  trough  it  has  been  shown  to  be  very 
thin  and  always  distributed  in  local  patches.  Over  this 
area  it  was  either  deposited  as  a thin  sheet  and  subsequently 
eroded,  or,  as  seems  most  plausible,  was  brought  in  and 
deposited  in  isolated  mud  bars  simultaneously  with  the 
first  deposition  of  conglomerate.  It  may  have  been  derived 
from  the  original  source  of  the  red  deposits  of  this  age,  or 
may.  have  been  gathered  up  from  a partial  erosion  of  the 
red  rocks  already  formed,  or  may  have  retained  its  red  color 
from  some  local  lack  of  per-oxidising  reagents. 


* See  Report  VV  for  a discussion  of  this  horizon. 


Chapter  Y. 


Pocono  ( Vespertine)  Sandstone , Y>.  X. 

§ 88.  This  rock  is  persistent  from  Eastern  New  York 
through  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  to  the  Cincinnati  anti- 
clinal. 

In  the  Eastern,  Central  and  Southern  portions  of  the  State 
it  is  a hard  massive  sandstone  often  coarse  grained  and  con- 
glomeritic,  from  1200  to  2500  feet  thick  ; but,  going  west- 
ward toward  the  oil  regions  it  becomes  finer  grained,  its 
lower  half  assumes  a red  character,  while  the  upper  part  is 
in  places  almost  entirely  composed  of  soft  shales. 

Three  hundred  feet  of  its  lowermost  layers  I consider  lost 
against  a Chemung  floor  (or  ancient  sea  shore)  in  the  oil 
district,  allowing  only  the  uppermost  400  feet  of  it  to  reach 
the  Ohio  line. 

At  Lode  Haven  its  total  thickness  is  1175  feet  (which  does 
not  differ  much  from  Mr.  Sanders’  measurement  of  it  at 
Altoona,)  consisting  of  hard  massive  gray  sandstones  sepa- 
rated by  beds  of  softer  sandstone  and  shale.  In  one  of  its 
upper  bands  a thin  bed  of  bituminous  (cannel)  slate  occurs. 

Just  below  its  junction  with  the  Mauch  Chunk  Red 
Shale  there  is  a thin  layer  of  limestone . 

Its  division  into  two  members  is  not  very  prominently 
shown  at  Lock  Haven  by  any  marked  lithological  difference 
between  its  upper  and  lower  portions,  but  west  from  Queen’s 
Run  the  two  subdivisions  are  always  distinguishable  by  the 
prominent  red  color  of  its  lower  half,  when  contrasted  with 
the  overlying  gray  strata. 

This  differentiation  of  the  rock  seems  to  me  to  give  us 
an  important  geological  horizon  separating  the  Yenango  Oil 
Sand  Group  from  the  measures  above  it. 

In  McKean  and  Elk  counties  this  lower  red  portion  of  the 
7 G4.  (97> 


98  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Pocono  has  been  called  red  Catskill  by  Mr.  Ashburner,  but 
that  nomenclature  has  not  been  adopted  in  this  report  be- 
cause I do  not  think  that  it  maintains  the  exact  equivalency 
of  the  rocks  described  with  those  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania. 


The  Upper  or  Grey  Pocono. 


§ 89.  The  characteristic  feature  of  this  sub-  division  from 
Lock  Haven  westward  to  Emporium,  is  its  constant  sandy 
character.  The  sandstones  are  nearly  all  hard  and  mas- 
sive, but  are  usually  quite  fine  grained  and  exhibit  a fo- 
liated or  laminated  structure , which  in  weathered  out- 
crops often  gives  one  the  impression  that  they  are  a sandy 
slate.  Their  color  is  always  some  shade  of  gray,  sometimes 
approaching  a dark  steel  color,  but  is  usually  a greenish 
gray.  The  sand  grain-s  are  rounded,  of  rather  dark  color, 
lusterless  and  are  never  sharp.  About  60  to  80  per  cent,  of 
the  mass  is  composed  of  sandstone,  and  the  remainder  of 
sandy  shale. 

From  Emporium  westward,  it  rapidly  becomes  less  are- 
naceous, the  sandy  bands  fining  down  into  sandy  shales, 
and  the  shaly  bands  between  them  thickening,  until  in 
some  localities  more  than  half  of  the  hard  sandstone  has 
been  replaced  by  olive  and  gray  shales. 

In  the  Oil  region  this  horizon  is  noted  for  its  universal 
softness,  fast  drilling  time  always  being  made  between  the 
conglomerate  or  Mountain-sands  and  the  Oil -sands.  It  in- 
cludes but  one  persistent  sandy  horizon,  that  of  the  Third 
mountain  sand  or  Berea  grit. 

The  following  table  shows  its  approximate  thickness  at 
prominent  localities  along  the  line  of  section  : 


Queen’s  run, . . 433' 

Farrandsville,  . . . base  unexposed. 

Wetham, 400' 

Hyner, 390' 

Renovo, 400  + 

Keating, 375  ± 

Sinnemahoning, 410  ± 

Sterling, 360'+ 

Cameron, . 425' 


Emporium, 

Rathburn, 

Ridgway, 

Wilcox, 

Kane, 

Warren  county,  . . . . 
Clarion  countv,  . . . . 
Mercer  county,  .... 


. . . . 500'  ? 

. . . .390'+ 
. . . . 407' 

. . . . 322'  + 
. . . . 350'  + 
250'  to  400' 

. . . . 400'  + 
. . . .400'  + 


The  parallelism  shown  by  the  above  table  is  certainly  very 
remarkable  when  we  consider  the  distance  over  which  it 


POCONO  SANDSTONE. 


G4.  99 


extends.  But  it  is  no  more  wonderful  than  the  parallelism 
exhibited  by  the  Coal  measures  of  the  bituminous  coal 
basins.  The  identity  of  this  subdivision  with  the  W averly  of 
Ohio  does  not  depend  altogether  upon  the  proof  afforded 
by  the  stratigraphical  method  adopted  in  this  survey,  but 
is  also  supported  by  palaeontological  evidence,  for  Waverly 
fossils  can  be  traced  at  this  horizon  uninterruptedly  from 
Ohio  to  McKean  county. 

The  Lower  or  Red  Pocono . 

§ 90.  Along  the  face  of  the  Allegheny  mountains  this 
subdivision  of  the  Pocono  is  indistinguishable  from  the 
upper.  They  are  so  similar,  lithologically,  that  any  divi- 
sion made  between  them  is  purely  artificial. 

A trace  of  red  shale  occurs  here  and  there  throughout  the 
formation,  but  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  more  prominent  in 
the  lower  than  in  the  upper  half  of  the  rock.  Going  west- 
ward the  red  bands  rapidly  increase  in  number  and  in  thick- 
ness until  at  flyner  they  aggregate  one  third  of  the  whole 
mass. 

The  red  color  in  any  one  stratum  cannot  be  considered 
constant,  as  it  is  constantly  giving  place  to  olive  or  to  gray, 
and  this  often  quite  abruptly.  But  as  a whole  the  forma- 
tion has  a distinctly  red  character  in  all  the  country  north- 
west from  Wetham  or  Bitcliie. 

The  following  table  is  given  to  show  in  a general  way  that 
the  red  color  increases  from  east  to  west,  until  from  merely 
a trace  at  Lock  Haven  it  becomes  the  predominating  color 
in  Cameron  and  McKean  counties.  It  must  not  be  supposed 
that  this  change  is  regular  ; nor  that  the  red  rocks  swell  in 
thickness  towards  the  northwest ; it  is  only  intended  to  in- 
dicate that  there  is  a radical  change  of  color  in  this  subdi- 
vision between  the  Allegheny  mountains  and  McKean 
county. 

Queen’s  run  about  5 per  cent,  of  red. 


Furney’s  run  “ 

10(f) 

Hy  ner  ‘ ‘ 

36 

Sinnemahoning  “ 

42 

Caiheron  “ 

60 

Wilcox  “ 

75 

100  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

This  might  be  continued  westward  by  tables  for  the  oil 
regions,  but  in  that  direction  we  are  approaching  a belt  of 
variations  along  which  the  greatest  irregularity  prevails. 
It  is  certain,  I think,  that  these  reds,  with  the  exception 
of  the  uppermost  band,  thin  out  between  the  oil  sands  of 
Venango,  Clarion  and  Butler  county,  and  must  be  con- 
sidered as  geologically  synchronous  with  them. 

The  heavy  red  band  overlying  the  First  oil  sand,  which 
is  well  developed  at  Franklin,  Reno,  Milton,  Fosters,  Scrub- 
grass  and  Raymilton,  extends  far  to  the  west,  having  been 
found  in  wells  drilled  on  Slippery  Rock  creek,  and  at  New 
Castle  at  about  the  same  geological  horizon,  although  a few 
feet  closer  to  the  Conglomerate  than  in  the  oil  regions.  * It 
is  undoubtedly  the  eastward  extension  (although  perhaps 
at  a lower  geological  level)  of  the  Bedford  shale  of  Ohio. 

The  reds  of  this  rock  are  also  found  higher  (or  closer  to 
the  Conglomerate)  at  Bradford  and  throughout  the  northern 
part  of  McKean  county  than  at  points  further  south.  In 
fact  everything  that  can  be  seen  throughout  that  part  of 
the  country  tends  to  prove  that  the  horizon  at  which  the 
red  color  predominate , constantly  rises  in  a north  and 
northwesterly  direction.  This  has  been  noticed  by  Mr. 
Ashburner,  but  he  has  drawn  a rather  different  conclusion 
from  what  he  has  seen,  viz : That  the  change  detected  is 
not  a shifting  of  the  horizon  of  the  red  color,  but  a bona- 
fide  nonconformability  between  the  red  rocks  and  over- 
lying  strata,  f On  this  view  he  makes  the  reds  of  McKean 
county,  which  are  here  classed  as  Red  Pocono,  continuous 
with  the  red  Catskill. 

In  the  following  table  the  thickness  of  this  group  is  given 
for  all  the  important  localities  on  the  line  of  section.  The 
only  abrupt  change  occurs  at  the  oil  district  and  in  the  pro- 
longation of  the  Venango  oil  belt. 

* This  is  fully  described  in  Report  V. 

| Not  necessarily  by  erosion,  but  by  a thinning  westward  and  northward 
of  the  interval  rocks  between  these  red  beds  of  X (or  IX  as  he  views  them) 
and  XII. 


POCONO  SANDSTONE. 


Gr4.  101 


Queen’s  Run,  ....  742' 

Hyner, 600' 

Sinnemahoning,  . . . 450'— (— 

Sterling, 450'  ± 

Cameron, 347' 


Emporium,  (about,)  . 375' 


Ridgeway,  about  . . 339' 
[Wilcox,  about  . . . 290'— )—] 
[Kane,  about  ....  160'(?)] 
[Bradford,  about  . . 250'±] 
V enango  county,  300  to  450' 
Mercer  county,  . . . 75'± 


It  will  be  noticed  that  from  Wilcox  to  Bradford  the  group 
is  thinner  than  either  southeast  or  southwest  of  those  points. 
This  is  readily  understood  by  reference  to  the  map,  by  which 
it  will  be  seen  that  those  places  lie  off  to  the  north  and  en- 
tirely on  one  side  of  the  line  along  which  most  of  the  sec- 
tions are  located. 

AtKinzua  and  at  Warren  the  group  is  almost  if  not  en- 
tirely wanting.  These  places  lie  west  of  the  prolongation  of 
the  Oil-sand  shore  which,  I take  it,  ran  a short  distance  east 
of  them,  east  also  of  Stoneham  (?),  slightly  west  of  Kane, 
and  not  far  from  Bradford. 

In  some  parts  of  Venango  and  Butler  counties  the  thick- 
ness of  this  group  is  apparently  augmented  by  bands  of  red 
rock  coming  in  beneath  the  Oil-sands  ; or,  it  is  possible  that 
these  may  be  the  wedge-shaped  ends  of  the  Red  Catskill ; 
but  our  data  are  unreliable  for  demonstrating  the  truth  of 
either  hypothesis. 


Chapter  VI. 

Catskill  ( Ponent ) red  sandstone , No.  IX. 

§ 91.  This,  the  “Old  Red  Sandstone,”  has  its  greatest 
thickness  in  the  Second  mountain  at  the  Susquehanna 
river  where  it  is  nearly  six  thousand  feet  thick. 

At  Broadtop  and  Altoona  it  is  a very  prominent  member 
of  the  Palaeozoic  series,  made  so  principally  by  its  character- 
istic bright  red  color.  Along  the  Allegheny  escarpment  it 
always  forms  high  but  smoothly  eroded  foot  hills,  the  red 
color  of  which  is  a prominent  feature  in  the  scenery  of  the 


102  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

Allegheny  mountain  from  the  Susquehanna  river  to  the 
Maryland  State  line. 

At  Queen’ s Run  it  is  finely  exposed  by  a series  of  natural 
outcrops  along  the  river  bank,  and  consists  of  red  shale  and 
red  sandstone  in  nearly  equal  proportions,  with  here  and 
there  a layer  of  gray  sandstone.  Over  ninety  per  cent,  of 
the  whole  mass — which  measures  2106  feet — is  red. 

Going  westward  from  Queen’ s Run  its  thickness  dimin- 
ishes quite  rapidly,  for  at  Hyner  it  measures  but  826  feet. . 

Thinning  at  this  rate  it  should  entirely  wedge  out  in  a few 
miles,  but  as  its  horizon  is  entirely  beneath  water  level  from 
Hyner  to  Emporium,  its  northwestern  limits  cannot  be  de- 
termined. 

At  Cameron  the  record  of  an  old  test  well  shows  that  it  is 
absent,  for  the  red  passed  through  in  the  well  belongs,  I 
think,  to  the  Red  Pocono.  In  the  Kettle  Creek  well  but 
little  red  was  found.  This  well  started  near  the  top  of  the 
Red  Catskill. 

At  Ritchie  (near  Hyner)  the  Hyner  anticlinal  brings  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  this  rock  above  water  level. 
It  here  shows  exactly  the  same  character  as  at  Queen's 
Hun.  The  following  section,  though  not  very  accurately 
measured,  fairly  describes  the  exposures  seen  in  going  from 
the  crest  of  the  Hyner  anticlinal  to  Ritchie.  The  dip  is 
strong  enough  for  the  succession  given  below  to  be  recog- 
nized in  passing  the  exposures  in  the  railroad  cars  : 

Ritchie  Section. 

Feet. 

12.  Sandstone,  hard  and  massive,  greenish  gray,  micaceous. 
7.  Red  and  olive  shale,  soft. 

20.  Shale,  gray  and  olive,  with  some  sandstone. 

25.  Sandstone,  hard,  massive  and  gray,  replaced  in  50  ft. 

by  red  shale  and  SS. 

35.  Red  shale,  soft. 

25.  Red  shale  (soft),  with  red  sandstone. 

12.  Red  sandstone,  massive. 

22.  Red  shale,  soft. 

18.  Red  sandstone,  hard  coarse  and  micaceous. 


CATSKILL  RED  SANDSTONE. 


G4.  103 


25.  Concealed.  (Red  SS.  and  shale  t). 

2.  Red  sandstone,  shaly. 

15.  Red  shale. 

5.  Grayish  red  sandstone. 

20.  Red  shale,  soft. 

15.  Red  sandstone,  hard  ; lowest  layer  exposed  on  the  crest 
of  the  Hyner  anticlinal. 

I think  it  probable  that  the  uppermost  sixty-four  feet 
of  the  foregoing  section  should  be  assigned  to  the  Lower 
or  Red  Pocono.  The  description  is  given  mainly  for  the 
purpose  of  illustrating  the  difference  (lithologically)  be- 
tween the  Red  Catskill  and  the  Red  Pocono.  The  latter 
barely  contains  a high  enough  percentage  of  red  measures 
to  warrant  its  being  called  a red  formation  at  Hyner,  where- 
as the  Red  Catskill  is  nearly  all  red. 

Were  these  red  bands  found  throughout  the  western 
counties  a westwardly  continuation  of  the  Red  Catskill,  it 
seems  at  least  probable  that  some  of  the  Catskill  fish  re- 
mains would  be  found  in  them.  At  Queen’s  Run  the  Cats- 
kill does  contain  fish-beds , and  these  are  also  found  in 
Bradford  and  some  other  northern  counties,  as  well  as  in 
the  south-eastern  counties  in  New  York  State.  But  none 
are  reported  from  the  red  rocks  of  the  western  counties, 
and  the  Bedford  red  shale  of  Ohio  is  said  to  be  entirely 
destitute  of  Catskill  fossils. 

It  seems  to  me  incredible  that  if  the  Catskill  really  ex- 
tended so  far  to  the  west,  as  a red  formation,  it  should  not 
yield  these  characteristic  Catskill  fossils  ; for  though  shell- 
fish may  be  limited  to  certain  areas  in  which  the  conditions 
necessary  to  their  growth  obtain,  no  such  limitation  can  be 
assigned  to  the  possible  extension  of  the  domain  of  fish 
endowed  with  rapid  and  voluntary  locomotive  powers.  The 
absence  of  their  remains  in  our  western  red  bands  can 
therefore  be  taken,  I think,  ns  prima  facie  evidence  that 
these  rocks  belong  to  a different  age. 


Chapter  VII. 


Chemung  and  Portage — Upper  part' of  No.  VIII. 

§ 92.  These  are  concealed  from  view  beneath  water-level 
from  Lock  Haven  to  Emporium  ; but  at  two  points,  Hyner 
and  Cameron,  they  have  been  penetrated  by  test  wells,  the 
records  of  which  furnish  some  knowledge  of  their  lithology. 

The  Chemung  is  magnificently  exposed  above  Lock  Haven 
in  the  railroad  cuttings,  where  it  consists  of  an  alternation  of 
gray  sandstones,  olive  and  gray  shales  and  slates,  with  an 
occasional  layer  of  red  or  purple  slate  or  sandstone.  The 
Portage  cannot  be  recognized  as  such,  and  has  been  grouped 
with  the  Chemung  in  the  Lock  Haven  section  in  Chapter 
IX.  The  combined  thickness  of  the  two  is  3314  feet. 

§ 93.  The  Chemung  and  Portage  red  bands  are  unlike 
the  Cat  skill  reds  and  need  never  be  mistaken  for  them. 

They  are  usually  of  a dark  purple  or  purplish  red,  and 
show  no  red  color  on  their  weathered  surfaces.  When 
churned  up  with  water  in  the  bottom  of  a well  the  coloring 
matter  becomes  quite  prominent,  but  they  seldom  give  the 
blood  red  tinge  to  sand  pumpings  that  is  always  character- 
istic of  the  Catskill  and  Pocono  red  rocks. 

The  first  red  horizon  in  the  Chemung  occurs  about  400 
feet  beneath  the  top  of  the  formation.  It  is  usually  quite 
thin,  but  in  some  localities  being  composed  of  a number 
of  thin  red  bands  it  is  given  quite  a considerable  thickness 
in  oil  well  records. 

The  Bradford  oil  sand  group  is  probably  of  Chemung  age, 
but  possibly  upper  Portage. 

§ 94.  Mr.  Carll’ s researches  along  the  State  line  show  that 
the  Conglomerate  of  the  Salamanca  Hock  city,  as  well  as 
the  Frewsburg  and  Panama  Conglomerates,  are  all  of  Che- 
mung age.  As  these  rocks  either  fine  down  into  fine- 

( 105  R.  ) 


106  G4. 


REPOET  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


grained  micaceous  sandstones  southward  and  southeast- 
ward or  are  unrecognizable  in  the  deeper  oil  wells,  they 
seem  to  indicate  the  existence  of  a Chemung  shore  towards 
the  north.  The  Panama  Conglomerate  has  been  suspected 
to  be  one  of  the  Yenango  oil  sands,  but  Mr.  Carll  shows 
that  the  dip  would  carry  it  far  beneath  the  Third  oil  sand, 
that  there  is  no  red  beneath  it,  and  that  it  is  overlaid  by 
Chemung  shales. 


Chapter  VIII. 


Theory  of  the  Sub -Carboniferous  deposits  * 

§ 95.  The  Cat  shill  Basin . — In  the  southeastern  part  of 
the  State  of  New  York  the  erosion  limit  of  the  Catskill 
formation,  No.  IX,  is  along  the  northern  face  of  the  Cats- 
kill mountains,  between  the  Hudson  and  Delaware  rivers. 
How  far  its  deposits  extended  towards  the  Adirondack 
mountains  and  Lake  Ontario  cannot  be  known. 

The  numerous  peaks  of  the  Catskill  mountains  are 
patches  of  Pocono  sandstone,  No.  X,  which  have  escaped 
the  general  erosion  of  the  country.  These  rise  a thousand 
feet  above  the  Catskill  plateau  and  show  how  thick  the 
Pocono  formation  must  have  been.  But  the  transition 
from  Catskill  to  Pocono  in  that  region  has  not  been  studied. 

The  Pocono  plateau  in  Pennsylvania,  between  the  Dela- 
ware and  Lehigh  rivers,  consists  of  1300  feet  of  Pocono 
sandstones,  No  X,  lying  upon  5000  feet  of  Catskill  sand- 
stones, No.  IX. f Softer  transition  strata  exist ; as  is  shown 
by  the  depression  between  the  two  crests  of  the  Second 
mountain,  between  the  Lehigh  and  Little  Schuylkill  rivers. 

Both  the  Pocono  and  the  Catskill  formations  are  repeat- 
edly exhibited  in  bold  exposures  along  the  Lehigh,  the 
North  Branch  Susquehanna  and  the  Tioga  rivers,  from 
Mauch  Chunk  northwestward  to  the  New  York  State  line. 
Both  of  them  diminish  in  thickness  in  that  direction,  thus : 

* In  presenting  the  views  advanced  in  the  following  pages  I must  disclaim 
originality  in  the  theory  of  a Chemung  shore-line  deposition  of  the  Venan- 
go oil  sands,  which  was  first  advanced  and  supported  by  Mr.  Carll ; but  the 
facts  obtained  in  collecting  the  data  for  this  Report  (see  sections  in  Chap.  X) 
seem  to  corroborate  his  conclusions. 

j There  is  no  good  opportunity  for  measurement  of  the  horizontal  plateau 
rocks ; but  at  Mauch  Chunk  they  are  turned  up  vertical  and  can  be  measured 
with  precision  in  the  gap  of  the  Lehigh. 

( 107  G.4. ) 


108  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

The  Pocono  (X)  is  1300'  at  Mauch  Chunk,  1100'  in  the 
Nescopec  mountain,  600'  in  the  Shickshinny  mountain  near 
Wilkes-Barre,  and  still  less  in  Tioga  and  Bradford  coun- 
ties. 

The  Catskill  (IX)  is  5000'  at  Mauch  Chunk,  4000'  at  Cata- 
wissa,  2500'  at  Wilkes-Barre,  1500'  at  Tnnkhannock,  and 
only  400'  or  500'  in  Tioga  county.* 

This  diminution  of  thickness  northwestward  must  of 
course  indicate  an  ancient  sedimentary  limit  running 
through  the  State  of  New  York,  southwest  ward,  into  Penn- 
sylvania, as  represented  in  Fig.  18. 


§ 96.  Such  a limit  my  observations  compel  me  to  locate 
with  some  degree  of  precision  as  crossing  Kettle  creek  at 
the  Ox  Bow  bend,  in  Clinton  county. 

Sweeping  westward  from  Ox  Bow  it  passed  somewhere  to 
the  south  of  Sterling,  (for  at  Cameron  No.  IX  is  entirely 
absent)  and  curving  slightly  southwest  became  more  nearly 

[*  Prof.  White’s  recent  work  in  the  northern  counties  leads  him,  however, 
to  believe  that  the  old  measurements  have  been  much  underestimated.  He 
finds  the  Catskill  1200'  thick  at  Blossburg,  i.  e.  900'  above  and  say  300'  beneath 
the  Mansfield  fishbed.  He  makes  the  interval  from  the  Catskill  up  to  the 
Conglomerate  there  about  800'  (possibly  1000')  which  would  leave  for  the  Po- 
cono 450'  (possibly  650').  In  Susquehanna  county,  much  further  east,  he  has 
measured  2000'  of  what  he  considers  Catskill,  with  more  to  be  added  above — 
J.  P.  L.] 


THE  OIL  SAND  SHORE. 


G4.  109 


parallel  to  the  oil-sand  sliore-line.  At  the  Forest  county 
line  its  normal  southwesterly  sweep  began  to  re-assert  itself, 
and  the  limit  of  the  basin  through  Forest,  Clarion  and  Ve- 
nango counties  seems  to  have  been  approximately  parallel 
to  the  present  sweep  of  the  oil-sand  belts. 

By  reference  to  the  map  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  shape 
of  this  basin  rudely  conforms  to  the  trend  of  the  Bradford 
oil  belt.  This  is  strong  proof  that  the  basin  is  rightly  lo- 
cated, for  the  Bradford  sand  is  of  Chemung  age,  and  its 
trend  or  line  of  uniform  character  indicates  (as  it  must  con- 
form to)  the  shape  of  the  Chemung  sea-bottom  or  sea-shore 
during  its  deposition.  As  the  change  from  Chemung  to 
Catskill  was  a comparatively  gradual  one,  and  as  we  have 
no  proof  of  any  sudden  revolutionary  change  during  that 
transition  period,  we  should  naturally  expect  to  find  the 
general  features  of  the  former  reflected  in  a complementary 
manner  by  the  latter. 

The  western  edge  of  the  basin,  if  a shore,  was  probably 
broken  by  bays,  which  may  have  extended  in  some  places 
west  of  the  Yenango  Oil  Sand  belt ; and  these  when  filled 
with  red  sediment  would  show,  as  wre  now  find,  red  rocks 
beneath  the  oil  sands.  Or  it  is  possible  that  this  edge  may 
have  extended  beyond  the  line  of  the  oil  belt  and  that  the 
“Third  Sand”  shored  on  Catskill,  while  the  “Second” 
and  “First  Sands”  were  formed  on  Chemung.  Again,  the 
edge  of  the  Catskill  basin  may  not  have  been  a shore  line, 
but  simply  a subaqueous  escarpment  or  bench  of  Chemung 
with  side  ravines  and  valleys  in  which  the  red  extended 
further  west  than  along  the  normal  limit  of  the  basin ; or 
finally  the  Red  Catskill  may  never  have  reached  so  far  west. 

The  Oil  Sand  Shore. 

§ 97.  It  seems  certain  that  whether  the  edge  of  the  Catskill 
was  or  was  not  a shore  line,  a shore  was  soon  after  formed  by 
the  emergence  of  Chemung  rocks  at  and  west  of  the  present 
oil  belt.  On  this  shore  the  oil  sands  were  progressively 
formed,  the  “Third”  first  and  the  “First”  last,  at  diff- 
erent elevations  ; a gradual  subsidence  taking  place  during 
their  deposition. 


110  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

Simultaneously  with  the  formation  of  the  oil  sands,  the 
red  and  gray  rocks  of  the  Lower  (red)  Pocono  were  being 
deposited  along  and  for  a certain  distance  off  the  shore, 
while  at  a still  greater  distance  eastward  were  currents  throw- 
ing down  the  hard  massive  sandstones  found  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  Pocono  in  eastern  Pennsylvania. 

That  the  deposition  of  red  should  not  stop  abruptly  at 
the  close  of  the  red  Catskill  epoch,  but  continue  over  a 
limited  area  during  a portion  of  the  Pocono  age,  is  not  sur- 
prising, for  there  is  no  evidence  of  any  radical  change  in 
the  relations  of  land  and  sea  at  this  time,  such  as  would 
explain  a total  and  sudden  cessation  of  the  red  material 
that  had  previously  been  coming  into  this  basin. 

In  any  off -shore  deposits,  other  things  being  equal,  the 
line  of  constant  lithology  will  approximately  conform  to 
the  general  trend  of  the  beach.  It  then  follows  that  the 
most  characteristically  red  part  of  the  Lower  Pocono  will 
always  be  found  at  a certain  distance  from  the  oil-sand  shore. 
But  this  shore  was  a sinking  shore,  and  as  the  beacli-line 
moved  further  and  further  west  during  the  formation  of  the 
oil  sands,  the  area  over  which  red  was  depositing  could  only 
keep  an  unaltered  position  with  reference  to  the  shore  by 
moving  westward  with  it. 

After  the  First  sand  had  been  formed  a comparatively 
slight  subsidence  took  place,  but  the  land  was  so  extremely 
flat  (resembling  the  tertiary  flats  of  the  Atlantic  coast) 
that  the  shore  was  thrown  far  west  of  the  Pennsylvania  line 
into  Ohio.  Its  character  may  have  been  so  altered  by  such 
a radical  change  in  its  eastern  slopes,  (which  were  now 
changed  to  broad  mud  shoals,  that  no  beach  of  any  prom- 
inence was  formed  along  its  line  in  Central  Ohio. 

The  horizon  of  the  red  was  of  course  carried  westward 
by  this  progression,  and  in  its  gradual  recession  has  left 
over  some  areas  a solid  band  of  red  shale  100  feet  thick 
resting  upon  the  First  oil  sand.  In  Ohio  this  is  known  as 
the  Bedford  shale  and  is  about  75  feet  thick.  The  Cleve- 
land shale  was  probably  deposited  in  comparatively  still 
water  before  the  red  color  had  reached  so  far  west  as  Ohio. 


THE  OIL  SAND  SHORE. 


G4.  Ill 


I judge,  therefore,  that  we  have  no  Cleveland  shale  in 
Pennsylvania. 

The  dex>osition  of  red  must  have  extended  through  a very 
long  period,  for  from  the  close  of  the  Chemung  age  until 
the  cessation  of  red  deposits  at  the  top  of  the  Bedford 
(which  I consider  continuous  with  the  middle  part  of  the 
Pocono  No  X)  there  is  embraced  not  only  all  of  the  Cats- 
kill  age  but  half  of  the  Pocono. 

§ 98.  Viewed  in  this  light,  it  seems  to  me  easy  to  under- 
stand why  the  paleontological  divisions  are  so  sharp  in 
Ohio  and  so  ill-defined  in  northern  Pennsylvania.  In  Ohio 
the  break  between  the  Bedford,  which  shows  sub-carbon- 
iferous fossils  only,  and  the  Chemung,  is  strongly  marked, 
and  this  is  precisely  what  we  should  expect  if  the  Bedford 
is  the  last  representative  of  the  Cat-skill  reds,  and  was  de- 
posited in  middle  Pocono  age. 

After  the  Bedford  shale  had  been  laid  down  a more 
rapid  subsidence  occurred  (this  may  have  cut  off  from 
Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  what  little  red  was  still  coming 
into  the  sea)  and  the  Waverly  group  began  to  form. 
Although  this  submergence  began  at  the  close  of  the  Bed- 
ford age,  it  probably  did  not  affect  Ohio  at  that  time,  but 
was  rather  an  emergence  there,  while  a subsidence  was  pro- 
gressive in  Pennsylvania. 

In  the  latter  State  100  feet  of  shaly  measures  were  laid 
down  on  the  red  bands,  while  in  Ohio  the  Berea  Grit  was 
being  deposited  in  the  north,  and  (mayhap  prior  to  it)  the 
Waverly  Conglomerate  in  the  south.  While  the  Berea 
shore-line  was  yet  unchanged  the  Third  mountain  sand  was 
thrown  down  in  the  oil  regions,  while  east  of  that  area, 
finer-grained  greenish  gray  sandstones  were  being  deposited 
in  the  deeper  water,  and  harder  and  coarser  sandstones 
were  laid  down  by  swifter  currents  still  further  east.  The 
sediments  in  eastern  Pennsylvania  were  of  this  character, 
and  being  laid  down  in  what  was  comparatively  deep  water 
(with  reference  to  the  western  shoal  water  deposits)  were 
not  much  affected  by  these  oscillations  of  the  ocean  bed 
that  produced  such  constant  changes  along  the  shore  from 


112  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


the  time  of  the  deposition  of  the  Third  oil  sand  to  the  end 
of  the  Waverly  (upper  Pocono)  age. 

At  the  close  of  the  Waverly  another  emergence  took 
place  in  Western  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  with  probably  a 
complementary  submergence  of  central  and  eastern  Penn- 
sylvania, while  very  deep  water  covered  the  Pocono  to  the 
south  and  southwest. 

§ 99.  Another  era  of  red  deposits  now  recurred,  which 
presented  many  features  similar  to  that  of  Catskill  age  ; and 
just  here  the  question  is  suggested : — Is  not  the  Mauch 
Chunk  red  shale  but  a continuation  upwards  of  the  Red 
Catskill  1 W e have  traced  this  red  into  middle  Pocono  in 
Ohio,  but  there  we  were  abruptly  stopped  by  a total  ero- 
sion of  these  measures  from  the  surface.  It  does  not  seem 
improbable  that,  could  we  trace  the  Bedford  red  from  the 
Vermillion  river  across  Lake  Erie  northward  into  Canada, 
its  horizon  might  be  found  at  a geologically  higher  and 
higher  level  until  it  would  finally  occupy  the  horizon  of 
the  Mauch  Chunk  Red  Shale  (XI)  immediately  beneath  the 
Conglomerate ; provided  that  the  Conglomerate  measures 
ever  extended  so  far  northwestwardly. 

The  Pocono  red  banas  not  CatsJcill. 

Perhaps  it  has  not  been  made  perfectly  clear,  why  the 
red  rocks  of  Potter,  Clinton,  Cameron,  McKean,  and  Ve- 
nango counties,  have  been  classed  as  Lower  Pocono,  instead 
of  Catskill,  and  for  this  purpose  the  following  facts  are  re- 
stated : 

First.  At  Hyner  red  bands  are  found  in  the  Pocono 
measures  up  to  within  400  feet  of  the  conglomerate,  but 
they  do  not  resemble  Catskill,  in  that  only  one  third  the 
strata  containing  them  is  red,  whereas  the  great  bulk  of  the 
mass  is  typical  Pocono,  while  beneath  this  there  does  occur , 
above  water-level,  over  two  hundred  feet  of  true  Catskill 
red  rock.  The  conclusion  therefore  follows  that  the  upper 
mass  is  Pocono  of  somewhat  changed  lithology. 

Second.  If  the  upper  red  bands  at  Hyner  were  Red  Cats- 
kill, we  should  expect  to  find  between  Hyner  and  Lock 
Haven  an  increase  in  the  amount  of  red,  and  for  300  or  400 


DOCONO  RED  BANDS  NOT  CATSKILL. 


G4.  113 


feet  above  water-level  at  Furney’s  run  the  rocks  should  be 
very  prominently  red.  The  reverse  of  this  is  true,  there 
being  no  appearance  of  Catskill  at  Furney’s,  which  is  but 
9 miles  from  Queen’s  run,  where  the  Catskill  is  such  a char- 
acteristically red  formation,  containing  about  90  per  cent, 
of  red  strata. 

Third.  The  upper  reds  (Lower  Pocono)  at  Hyner  can  be 
traced  continuously  to  Emporium  by. actual  exposures,  and 
the  Emporium  red  rocks  can  be  shown  to  be  the  same  with 
those  of  McKean  and  western  Potter  counties. 

Fourth.  Measurements  of  the  Red  Catskill  between  the 
face  of  the  Allegheny  mountains  and  twenty  or  thirty  miles 
west  of  the  escarpment  show  a rate  of  thinning  that  would 
cause  it,  if  continued,  to  disappear  before  reaching  the 
northern  and  western  counties. 

Fifth.  The  Pocono  does  not  thin  at  such  a rapid  rate  as 
the  Catskill.  If  the  Hyner  red  rocks  are  red  Catskill,  the 
Pocono  must  thin  from  1175  to  400  feet  in  fifteen  miles.  At 
this  rate  it  would  entirely  disappear  five  miles  from  Hyner. 

Sixth.  If  the  McKean  red  rocks  are  Catskill,  then  the 
Bedford  is  Catskill,  for  it  can  be  traced  by  well  records  con- 
tinuously from  Bradford  to  Ohio.  This  conclusion  is  an- 
tagonistic to  the  views  held  by  the  Ohio  geologists. 

Seventh.  These  Pocono  red  bands  are  geologically  syn- 
chronous with  the  oil  bands  of  Yenango  county,  which  Mr. 
Carll  considers  of  Sub-carboniferous  and  not  Devonian  as:e. 

Eighth.  In  the  measures  lying  within  800  feet  of  the  base 
of  No.  Nil,  which  includes  the  Bradford  red  rocks,  in  Mc- 
Kean county,  Mr.  Asliburner  states  that  there  have  been 
found  18  Waverly,  7 Chemung  and  1 carboniferous  species 
of  fossils,  which  is  certainly  corroberative  of  the  conclusion 
that  the  McKean  county  red  bands  are  sub-carboniferous,  i. 
e.  Pocono,  not  Catskill. 

The  ideal  sketch  shown  by  Plate  VIII  is  designed  to  il- 
lustrate the  shifting  of  the  red  colored  deposits  from  rocks 
of  Catskill  to  those  of  Pocono  age. 

At  the  close  of  the  Catskill  age  the  western  edge  of  the 
red  rocks  was  at  the  point  A,  but  subsequently,  owing  to  a 
subsidence  and  a new  shore,  it  moved  westward  and  was 
8 G4. 


The  heavy  Mack  lines 
represent  Bedrock* 


POCONO  RED  BANDS  NOT  CATSKILL. 


G4.  115 


limited  by  tlie  oil  sand  sliore  at  B.  After  the  oil  sands  had 
been  deposited,  a further  submergence  threw  the  shore  far 
to  the  west,  and  the  red  lapped  over  into  Ohio. 

In  the  accompanying  plate  the  measures  are  represented 
as  though  perfectly  horizontal,  but  that  that  is  not  true  to 
nature  is  evident,  for  the  sea  bottom  at  any  and  every  age 
must  have  had  some  slope,  and  the  point  C was,  through- 
out the  Pocono  epoch,  more  deeply  submerged  than  a cor- 
responding horizon  at  B. 


Chapter  IX. 


The  Plate  of  Vertical  Sections. 

The  sections  embraced  in  this  illustration  have  not  been  ar- 
ranged side  by  side  according  to  any  fixed  geological  horizon. 
It  has  not  been  possible  to  determine  the  place  of  any 
one  stratum  exactly  in  all  of  the  sections,  and  for  this  rea- 
son they  have  been  so  placed  that  a comparison  between  any 
two  or  three  may  be  most  easily  made. 

The  most  easterly  section,  that  at  Queen’s  run,  contains 
sufficient  red  at  the  horizon  of  Xo.  XI  to  fix  with  a fair  de- 
gree of  accuracy  the  base  of  the  Conglomerate  measures. 
Beneath  the  red  masses  of  X o.  XI  come  the  hard  fine  -grained 
but  sometimes  conglomerate  Pocono  sandstones  whose  base 
may  be  placed  at  the  bottom  of  the  285  foot  interval,  but 
the  lithological  character  of  the  next  185'  of  measures  seems 
to  indicate  that  they  too  should  be  included  in  this  division. 
This  185'  may  however  be  referred  to  a transition  period. 
Beneath  it  is  the  Catskill  red  rock  of  great  thickness  under- 
laid by  Chemung  shales. 

In  the  lower  two- thirds  of  the  Pocono  Sandstone  several 
thin  red  bands  are  noted. 

The  W etham  section  is  very  defective.  The  Mauch  Chunk 
red  Shale  (XI)  is  not  shown  and  the  Pocono  Upper  sand- 
stones seem  to  be  in  juxtaposition  with  the  Conglomerate 
measures.  The  400'  of  sandstone  is  somewhat  broken  by 
shafy  layers,  but  is  almost  entirely  free  from  red  bands. 

The  reds  of  the  Pocono  Lower  sandstone  were  detected 
beneath  it,  but  the  Wetham  synclinal  sinks  most  of  this 
subdivision  beneath  water  level. 

The  Hvner  section  embodies  the  data  obtained  in  section- 
ing at  Hyner,  Youngwomanstown  and  Renovo.  It  shows  the 
horizon  of  Xo.  XI  by  red  layers  occurring  beneath  a hard, 
massive,  escarpment-forming  sandrock  easily  recognized  at 
all  of  the  above  named  places. 

(117  G.4) 


118  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHATsCE. 

The  lower  division  of  the  Pocono  apparently  begins  at 
the  20'  red  band  and  extends  down  to  the  well.  The  red 
Catskill  was  perforated  from  top  to  bottom  by  the  well  which 
also  penetrated  1187  feet  into  gray  Chemung  measures. 

From  Renovo  to  Keating  no  good  sections  could  be  had, 
and  at  the  latter  place  the  section  is  not  very  satisfactory. 
It  does  not  clearly  define  the  division  between  the  Conglom- 
erate and  Pocono,  no  appearance  of  Mauch  Chunk  red  rock 
having  been  noted.  The  lower  reds  of  the  Pocono  are  shown 
for  a short  distance  above  water  level. 

In  the  next  section  No.  XI  is  shown  by  two  thin  red  bands; 
and  the  red  character  of  the  Lower  Pocono  contrasted  with 
the  gray  of  the  Upper  division  furnishes  a good  plane  of 
demarcation  between  the  two. 

At  Sterling  the  same  general  features  are  reproduced 
but  I failed  to  find  the  Mauch  Chunk  red  shale  (XI),  the 
Conglomerate  and  Pocono  sandstones  appearing  in  juxta- 
position as  at  Keating  and  Wetham.  The  same  difficulty 
was  encountered  at  Cameron,  but  here  a band  of  soft  rocks 
separating  into  two  divisions  the  125'  interval  seems  a tol- 
erably sure  indication  of  the  horizon  of  No.  XI,  for  it  ex- 
actly corresponds  to  the  horizon  of  the  Emporium  junction 
red  band  when  brought  down  on  the  dip  of  the  lower  red 
layers. 

The  alternations  of  red  and  gray  in  the  Pocono  Lower 
sandstone  division  is  well  shown  in  the  Cameron  record,  and 
this  also  shows  that  these  reds  here  rest  directly  on  Che- 
mung, as  they  also  do  at  Emporium  where  they  lie  far  above 
water  level  and  may  be  studied  to  better  advantage. 

The  exposures  at  Rathburn  furnished  an  unsatisfactory 
section  which  fails  to  define  the  horizon  of  the  Mauch 
Chunk  red  shale. 

At  Ridgeway  we  find  all  the  features  of  the  Emporium  and 
Cameron  sections  reproduced  ; although  the  Mauch  Chunk 
is  not  shown  as  red  shale,  I think  its  horizon  in  the  45'  in- 
terval is  tolerably  certain.  The  12'  rock  beneath  it  is  a flat 
pebble  conglomerate  in  which  Mr.  Ashburner  recognizes  his 
Sub-olean  (the  equivalent  of  the  Shenango  sandstone)  shown 


THE  PLATE  OF  VERTICAL  SECTION’S. 


G.4  119 


by  the  50'  rock  in  the  Smith  well,  the  32 ' rock  at  Kinzua  and 
the  45'  rock  at  Marion. 

The  Wilcox  section  lies  much  further  north  than  Ridg- 
yny,  and  here  the  Pocono  red  bands  occur  at  a much  higher 
geological  level.  The  approximate  position  of  the  base  of 
No.  XII  is  merely  indicated  on  the  hillside  above  the  well. 
If  the  Dennis  well-record  were  introduced  beside  this  Wil- 
cox section  it  would  show  the  Pocono  reds  at  a still  higher 
level. 

At  Marion,  which  lies  west  and  south  from  Wilcox  and 
nearly  west  from  Ridgeway,  we  find  the  features  of  the 
Cameron  and  Emporium  sections  nearly  reproduced.  The 
Conglomerate  is  extraordinary  thick,  and  the  whole  meas- 
urement of  Pocono  (upper  and  lower)  is  somewhat  aug- 
mented. The  76'  red  band  seems  to  be  the  equivalent  of 
the  4(T  or  the  27'  and  40'  red  bands  at  Snydersburg,  while 
the  lower  reds  are  not  shown  at  that  place.  The  measures 
included  between  the  27'  red  band  and  the  IF  sand  rock 
seem  to  represent  the  oil  sand  group  at  Snydersburg. 

The  Kinzua  section  is  introduced  to  show  the  thinning 
away  of  the  Pocono  reds  beyond  the  oil  sand  shore  line. 
All  the  measures  underlying  the  27'  band  of  shale  at  Kin- 
zua certainly  belong  to  the  Chemung. 

The  Maucli  Chunk  red  shale  at  Snydersburg  sufficiently 
defines  the  horizon  of  No.  XI  at  that  place.  Its  place  is 
also  indicated  at  Sligo ; and  the  72'  shale  interval  in  the 
Smith  well,  corresponding  to  the  space  between  the  Ohio 
or  Sharon  conglomerate  and  the  Shenango  sandstone,  seems 
to  me  to  fairly  represent  the  horizon  of  that  formation  in 
the  western  counties. 

The  thick  red  bands  shown  in  the  New  Castle  section  and 
Smith  well  record  are  presumably  synchronous  and  probably 
represent  the  Bedford  shale  of  Ohio.  This  seems  to  find 
only  a faint  prolongation  in  the  6'  red  band  at  Sligo,  for 
the  26'  red  band  occurs  beneath  the  First  oil  sand  whereas 
the  60'  red  of  the  Smith  well  overlies  the  First  sand. 

The  Oil-sand  group  is  seemingly  absent  from  the  New  Cas- 
tle record,  the  sands  noted  being  gray  fine-grained  rocks  of 
Chemung  character ; but  a typical  development  of  the  oil 


120  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

sand  group  is  denoted  by  tlie  Smith  record  (though  the 
sands  were  non-productive.) 

The  Oil-sand  group  is  not  well  shown  by  the  Sligo  record 
as  that  well  was  “off  the  belt,”  i.  e.  to  one  side  of  the  pro- 
ductive area. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  plate  a profile  section  has  been  in- 
serted to  show  more  clearly  how  I conceive  the  Catskill  and 
also  the  Pocono  red  bands  lie  upon  the  Chemung  shales  ; 
how  the  Catskill  feathers  out  to  a knife  edge  at  a point  un- 
certainly located  somewhat  east  of  Cameron  ; the  Pocono 
Lower  sandstones  change  gradually  from  gray  to  red  ; how 
the  Oil-sands  are  synchronous  with  them  and  shore  upon  a 
Chemung  encarpment  allowing  only  the  uppermost  red  band 
to  reach  west  to  the  Ohio  line. 

This  section  also  shows  the  Coal  measures  preserved  from 
erosion  in  the  synclinal  troughs  ; the  sporadic  lenticular 
masses  of  Mauch  Chunk  red  shale  (XI) ; and  the  continuity 
of  the  Conglomerate  measures  from  Queens’s  run  to  Ohio.* 

A skeleton  map  is  added  to  show  the  relative  location  of 
the  principal  places  referred  to  in  the  above  description. 


* This  section  was  constructed  along  two  lines;  one  from  Queen’s  run  to 
Wilcox,  the  other  from  Butler  county  to  New  Castle. 


Chapter  X. 


Vertical  Sections  in  Series  from  the  Allegheny  Mountains 

to  Ohio. 

The  following  sections  include  those  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  Plate  IX,  but  some  of  them  were  for  obvious  reasons 
omitted  from  that  diagram. 

The  sections  from  Lock  Haven  to  Ridgway  (inclusive) 
were  compiled  especially  for  this  report ; those  west  of 
Ridgeway  are  taken  partly  from  work  done  in  the  McKean 
and  Venango  Oil  districts  and  partly  from  my  Clarion  and 
Butler  county  and  Beaver  River  surveys. 

In  many  of  these  sections  it  is  evidently  impossible  to  fix 
an  exact  boundary  line  of  division  between  the  two  sub-di- 
visions of  the  Pocono  measures,  and  for  this  reason  they 
have  not  been  broken  up  in  the  text  into  their  geological 
horizons,  for  these  horizons  could  only  be  empirically  fixed. 
It  therefore  seems  better  to  allow  each  section  to  stand  alone 
as  an  undivided  whole  which  the  reader  may  split  into  as 
many  groups  as  he  sees  fit ; the  relative  equivalents  of 
which  can  readily  be  determined  by  consulting  Plate  IX. 


1.  Altoona  Section. 

At  Altoona  the  formations  from  No.  VIII  up  to  the  Coal 
measures  (XIII)  are  finely  exposed  by  cuttings  along  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad.  The  following  section  was  made  at 
this  point  by  Mr.  Platt : 


No.  XIII.  Lower  Productive  Coal  measures, 345'  4 ' 

No.  XII.  Coal  measure  Conglomerate ; hard  massive 
white  and  gray  sandstones  with  interbedded 

coal,  iron  ore,  shale,  etc., 223  1' 

( 121  G1 * * 4. ) 


122  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


No.  XI.  Manch  Chunk  Red  Shale,  containing  some  sand- 
stone,   *283' 

No.  X.  Pocono  sandstone ; hard  massive  gray  S3.,  some 

red  beds,  ...  1274'  4'' 

No.  IX.  Red  Catskill ; red  and  gray  sandstone  and  shale,  2560' 

JIo.  VIII.  Chemung;  Portage,  Hamilton,  Upper  Helder- 

burg, 6519'  2" 

The  detailed  section,  as  printed  in  Appendix  A,  to  Report 
F,  is  as  follows  : 

Detailed 


Mahoning  sandstone. 

2'  8"  Coal  bed. 

20'  Drab  slates. 

5'  Olive  shales. 

10'  Massive  slates. 

20'  Olive  slates  and  shales. 

5'  6"  Coal  bed  E. 

2'  Impure  tire-clay. 

20'  Sandstone  and  black  slate. 

3'  Limestone. 

20'  Ferruginous  slates  and  shales. 
20'  Sandstone  and  sandy  shales. 

3'  Coal  bed  D1. 

V Fire-clay. 

21'  Sandstone,  drab. 

20'  Black  slate. 

2'  10"  Coal  bed  D. 

11'  Drab  slates  holding  ore  balls. 

0'  7"  Sandstone. 

13'  Blue  slates. 

15'  Sandstone,  massive,  drab. 

12'  6"  Slate. 

6"  Coal.  ^ 

6"  Slate.  > Bed  C. 

1'  8"  Coal.  ) 

6'  Fire-clay. 

12'  Sandstone. 

1'  3"  Slate. 

0'  4"  Coal. 

7'  Sandstone. 

8'  10"  Black  slates,  with  calamites. 
3'  6"  Coal  bed  B. 

3'  Fire-clay. 

29'  Shales. 


Section. 

2'  Black  slate. 

1'  8"  Coal  bed  A1. 

23'  Slates. 

4'  sandstone,  gray. 

4'  Coal  bed  A. 

9'  Fire-clay. 

XIII.  Total, 345'  4" 

14'  SS.,  coarse-grained  iron  stained. 

0'  1"  Coal. 

9'  Fire-clay. 

4'  Slaty  sandstone. 

15'  Fine-grained  grayish-white  SS. 

81'  Massive  white  sandstone. 

100'  Concealed. 

XII.  Total, 223'  1" 

110'  Red  shale. 

40'  Gray  slate. 

5'  Red  shale. 

12'  Gray  slate. 

2'  Red  slate. 

4'  Fine-grained  sandstone. 

6'  Red  slate. 

4'  Greenisli-gray  slate. 

6'  Red  shale. 

2'  Gray  slate. 

52'  White  and  grayish-white  coarse- 
grained sandstone. 

10'  Gray  slate. 

5'  Red  slate. 

10'  Gray  sandstone. 

10'  Red  shale. 

XI.  Total,  .......  283 

2'  Gray  shale. 

200'  Gray  sandstone. 


*At  the  base  of  No.  XI  there  is  a mass  of  gray  sandstone  with  some  gray 
slate  and  red  shale,  in  all  92  feet  thick,  of  which  but  15  feet  is  red.  I am  in- 
clined to  think  that  this  is  the  upper  part  of  No.  X,  and  that  it  should  be  so 
placed,  increasing  the  Pocono  to  1366  feet  and  decreasing  No.  XI  to  91  feet. 

H.  M.  C. 


ALTOONA  SECTION. 


G4.  123 


3'  Red  shale. 

334'  Massive  gray  sandstone. 

20'  Dark  gray  slates. 

266'  Massive  gray  sandstone. 

15'  Olive-gray  sandstone. 

20'  Red  shale. 

60'  Gray  sandstone. 

40'  Gray  slate. 

30'  Gray  sandstone. 

5'  Greenish-gray  slate. 

2'  Gray  sandstone. 

10'  Gray  slate. 

15'  Massive  gray  sandstone. 

5'  Brown  shale. 

20'  Red  shale  and  slate. 

15'  Brown  sandstone. 

5 Gray  slate. 

20'  Red  shale  and  slate. 

20'  Massive  gray  sandstone. 

29'  Red  shale. 

11'  Gray  sandstone. 

10'  Gray  slaty  sandstone. 

17'  Brown  slaty  sandstone. 

10'  Red  shale. 

1'  Gray  micaceous  sandstone. 

1'  Iron  ore,  greenish-gray. 

0'  1§"  Gray  micaceous  sandstone. 

1'  9"  Iron  ore,  greenish-gray. 

26'  Massive  gray  sandstone. 

5'  Red  slate. 

1'  6"  Iron  ore,  greenish-gray. 

14'  Gray  micaceous  thin  bedded  SS. 
1 Ferruginous  sandstone. 

38'  Gray  sandstone. 

7'  Gray  slate. 

3'  Red  slate. 

1'  Brown  sandstone. 

2'  Red  slate. 

15'  Gray  slate. 

16’  Gray  sandstone. 

5'  Red  shale. 

7'  Red  slate. 

45'  Gray  sandstone.*** 

X.  Total, 1,274'  4" 

9'  Red  shale. 

3'  Gray  shale. 

15'  Red  shale. 


12'  Brown  sandstone. 

25'  Red  shale. 

20'  Gray  sandstone. 

25'  Red  shale. 

196'  Concealed. 

Red  sandstone. 

167'  Concealed. 

30,  Brown  shale. 

50'  Brown  sandstone. 

35'  Red  shale  with  three  small  layers 
of  olive  shale. 

30'  Brownish-gray  sandstone. 

10'  Gray  slaty  sandstone. 

30'  Reddish-brown  sandstone, 

3'  Red  shale. 

20'  -j-  Yellowish-gray  sandstone. 

264'  Concealed  and  reddish  sandstone 
and  slate. 

6'  Gray  shale. 

50'  Red  shale  and  sandstone. 

10'  Gray  slaty  sandstone. 

265'  Red  shale  and  sandstone. 

20'  Red  sandstone. 

10'  Red  shale. 

15'  Red  sandstone. 

15'  Red  shale  and  sandstone. 

15'  Red  sandstone. 

80'  Red  shale. 

305'  Concealed. 

15'  Gray  shale. 

14'  Red  SS.,  with  some  gray  shale. 

10'  Red  shale. 

10'  Red  and  gray  shale. 

2'  Gray  shale. 

4'  Red  sandstone. 

15'  Red  slate  with  some  gray  SS. 

20'  Gray  shale. 

70'  Red  shale. 

5'  Gray  sandstone. 

40'  Red  shale. 

15'  Reddish-brown  sandstone. 

60'  Red  shale  with  layers  of  gray  sand- 
stone. 

25'  Gray  sandstone  with  red  shale; 

small  layers  of  gray  shale. 

40'  Gray  sandstone  and  slate. 

480'  Concealed. 

IX.  Total, 2560'. 


***  Near  this  occurs  Edward  Miller’s  Silicious  Limestone  30'  thick,  at  the 
foot  of  Plane  No.  7 of  the  Old  Portage  Railroad.  See  Trans.  Geol.  Soc.  Penn’a, 
vol.  I,  page  253. 


124  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


20'  Red  slate  with  gray  sandstone, 
mostly  sandstone. 

40'  Gray  slates. 

20'  Gray  sandstone. 

3'  Gray  slate. 

20'  Gray  sandstone. 

40'  Gray  slate. 

90'  Gray  sandstone  and  slate,  with  a 
slight  reddish  tinge. 

40'  Gray  sandstone  and  slate. 

410'  Concealed. 

192'  Gray  slate. 

8'  Gray  sandstone. 

10'  Light  gray  slate. 

1'  Gray  sandstone. 

8'  Dark  gray  slates. 

10'  Gray  sandstone. 

86'  Dark  gray  slates  and  concealed. 
15'  Dark  gray  slates. 

1 Gray  sandstone. 

50'  Gray  slates. 

2'  Gray  sandstone. 

4'  Gray  slate. 

10’  Gray  sandstone. 

0'  2"  Gray  slate. 

1'  Gray  sandstone. 

70'  Gray  slate. 

300'  Concealed. 

20'  Gray  slate. 


260'  Slaty  sandstone. 

20'  Gray  shale. 

30'  Gray  sandstone  and  slates,  thin 
bedded. 

505'  Concealed. 

50'  Gray  sandstone  thin  bedded  with 
slate. 

460'  Gray  slate  with  thin  layers  of  gray 
sandstone. 

50'  Gray  slate. 

50'  Concealed. 

35'  Gray  slate  with  a few  layers  of 
gray  sandstone.  /- 

50'  Gray  slate,  cleavage  planes  iron 
stained. 

780'  Concealed,  mostly  gray  slates. 

185'  Olive  and  gray  slates  with  10'  red 
slates. 

5'  Red  slates. 

418'  Gray  slate  and  sandstone. 

75'  Slaty  sandstone  and  gray  slate. 

10'  Gray  sandstone. 

100'  Gray  slates,  some  of  the  slates  Lave 
ripple  marks. 

600'  Gray  slaty  sandstone,  thin. 

1365'  Gray  and  black  slates,  the  black 
slates  are  the  lowest.  Thickness 
not  known. 

VIII.  Total 6519'  2" 


The  Lock  Haven  Long  Section. 

This  section  embraces  a description  of  the  formations  from 
the  top  of  the  Hudson  river  slates,  No.  Ill,  up  to  the  Lower 
Productive  Coal  measures. 

The  rocks  from  No.  Ill  to  No.  VII  were  measured  at  Mill 
Hall  Gap,  and  from  No.  VII  to  No.  XIII  on  the  Susque- 
hanna river  between  Lock  Haven  and  Farrandsville.  The 
total  thickness  of  the  strata  described  is  13, 636—)—  feet,  which 
may  be  divided  by  the  Pennsylvania  numbers,  as  follows  : 

Carboniferous  \ No.  XIII.  Lower  Productive  Coal  Measures,  . . 86'-f- 

215' -f-  ( No.  XII.  Conglomerate  Measures, 129' 

Sub-carboniferous  ) No.  XI.  Mauch  Chunk  red  shale  ^local),  . . .*100' 

1275 ' \ No.  X.  Pocono  Sandstone  ; upper  and  lower,  . 1175' 


*This  red  shale  is  local,  disappearing  in  half  a mile,  its  place  being  occupied 
by  sandstone  and  conglomerate  belonging  to  No.  XII. 


THE  LOCK  HAVEN  LONG  SECTION. 


G4.  125 


Devonian  ) No.  IX.  Red  Catskill, 2106' 

7870'  $ No.  YIII.  Chemung  and  Portage, 3314' 

Genesee, 560' 

Hamilton,  ....  1131' 
Marcellus,  ....  759' 

5764' 


Upper  Silurian 
1975' 


No.  VII.  Oriskany  Sandstone — wanting — — 

)No.  VI.  Lower  Helderburg  and  Water-line,  . . 895'± 
> No.  V.  Clinton  red  shales ; with  fossil  ore,  . . 1080' 


Middle  Silurian  ) 

2301'  ) °' 


IV.  Medina  and  Oneida  Sandstones,  ....  2301' 


^ No. 

Lower  Silurian.  > No. 


III.  Hudson  river  and  Utica  Slates,  not  measured. 
II  and  I.  Lower  Silurian  Limestones  and  Potsdam 
S.  S.,  not  measured. 


Detailed  Section. 

Lower  Productive  Coal  Measures.  XIII. 


Surface,  35' 

Coal ; variable  3'  to  4',  upper  bed, 3' 

Fire-clay  ; used  for  fire-brick,  5' 

Concealed,  Shale  and  Sandstone, 40' 

Coal ; middle  bed, 3' 

Total, 86' 

Pottsville  Conglomerate.  XII. 

S.  S.  and  Shale, 40' 

Coal ; lower  bed,  2'  0"  to  3’  6'  2' 

Fire-clay ; 6 to  8 ft.,  used  for  fire-brick, 7' 

Concealed.  Some  Sandstone, 80' 

Total, 129' 

Mauch  Chunk  Red  Shale.  XI. 

Concealed ; trace  of  red  shale, 20' 

Red  and  olive  shale.  This  red  shale  is  only  a local  deposit, 20' 

Concealed, 55' 

Red  shale, 5' 

Total, 100' 

Pocono  Sandstone.  X. 

S.  S.  white  and  gray,  rather  coarse, 15' 


Limestone  and  S.  S.  in  one  massive  bed.  The  limestone  lies  in  layers  or 
lenticular  patches,  £ to  1 inch  thick.  In  some  parts  of  the  rock  it  lies 
in  nodules  resembling  pebbles,  and  giving  the  rock  the  appearance  of 
being  a conglomerate.  The  lime  is  pure,  and  free  from  any  admixture 


of  sand, 3' 

S.  S.  gray  and  greenish  gray,  false  bedded, 25' 

Concealed, 10' 

S.  S.  gray.  Some  thin-bedded  layers,  only  partially  exposed,  ....  70' 

Concealed ; contains  a band  of  red  shale,  60' 

S.  S.  hard,  gray ; contains  a layer  of  cannei  slate,  2 1 to  3"  thick,  ...  80' 


126  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


Concealed,  65' 

S.  S.  gray,  hard  and  massive, 5' 

Concealed, 40' 

S.  S.  hard  gray, 35' 

S.  S.  coarse  gray,  with  a pebble  layer  12''  thick  near  middle, 15' 

S.  S.  coarse  gray,  with  a pebble  layer  12''  thick  at  base,  10' 

Red  Shale;  soft,  20' 

S.  S.  and  Shale  alternating;  S.  S.  is  hard  and  gray, 68' 

S.  S.  gray  and  hard,  massive, . . . 47' 

S.  S.  thin-bedded,  greenish  gray,  alternating  with  shale, 59' 

Red  shale, 5' 

Olive  shale, 8' 

Red  shale, . . 3' 

S.  S.  thin-bedded,  alternating  with  olive  shale  and  dark  slate,  ....  41' 

Principally  shale,  few  bands  red  shale,  71' 

S.  S.  hard,  greenish  gray,  upper  part  streaked  with  red, 45' 

Olive  shale,  some  sandy  bands, . . 20' 

S.  S.  hard  gray, 20' 

Concealed  softer  S.  S.  and  shale,  285' 

S.  S.  gray,  reddish  gray,  and  greenish  gray,  beds  parted  by  shale,  . . 50' 


Total, 1,175' 

Catskill.  IX. 

Red  shale, 10' 

S.  S.,  very  hard,  massive,  gray,  reddish,  and  greenish  gray,  some  red,  . 95' 

S.  S.,  Greenish  gray,  with  red  and  olive  shale  partings, 30' 

Red  shale ; soft,  . . 53' 

Red  S.  S.,  hard  and  massive,  micaceous,  with  one  thin  band  red  shale,  20' 

Red  shale,  one  band  massive  red  S.  S.  partly  concealed, 131' 

Red  and  greenish  gray  S.  S.,  massive  and  hard, 30' 

Red  shale ; partly  concealed, 56' 

S.  S.  red  and  grayish  red, 32' 

Concealed  ; principally  red  shale,  with  S.  S., 73' 

S.  S.  red  and  greenish  gray,  massive, 20' 

Red  and  olive  shale, 19' 

Red  Conglomerate  Fish  bed.  Pebbles  of  S.  S.  and  limestone  (?)  irreg- 
ular. Full  of  iron  concretions,  . ..2  4", 2' 

Red  shale  ; few  bands  of  red  S.  S 31' 

S.  S.  massive  red  and  greenish  gray, 4' 

Red  shale  ; soft,  with  a few  sandy  bands, 131’ 

Red  S.  S.  massive,  parted  into  sub-divisions  by  two  or  three  bands  red 

shale  5 to  10  feet  thick, 148' 

Red  S.  S.  and  shaie,  alternating  very  regularly  in  bands  from  5 to  10 
feet  thick.  The  S.  S.  is  massive  and  the  shale  soft.  Complete  ex- 
posure,   985' 

Red  Shale  and  Red  S.  S.  alternating,  with  a few  bands  of  gray  S.  S. 
streaked  with  red,  235' 


Total,  2,106' 

Chemung , Portage.  VIII. 

Olive  slate, 20' 

Shale  ; olive  and  gray  alternating  in  thin  bands  with  gray  S.  S.,  ...  217' 


THE  LOCK  HAVEN  LONG  SECTION.  G4.  127 

Concealed,  contains  some  gray  slaty  shale,  and  gray  S.  S.,  . . . 110' 

Olive  shales  and  gray  slates  with  two  bands  purplish  red  slate,  ....  134' 

Red  shaly  S.  S.  9' 

Olive  shales  and  gray  and  purplish  red  slate,  some  sandy  layers,  . . 38' 

S.  S.  massive  gray,  20' 

S.  S.  hard  gray  alternating  with  slates  and  shales,  51' 

Slates  and  shales ; soft,  dark,  with  a little  reddish  slaty  shale,  ....  77' 

S.  S.  hard  gray,  massive,  ..........  13' 

Slates  and  shales  ; soft  olive,  gray  and  purplish  red, 57' 

S.  S.  massive  red,  2' 

S.  S.  hard  gray, 4' 

Purplish  red  slate  and  shale  with  some  reddish  and  gray  S.  S 83' 

S.  S.  and  shale  (gray)  alternating, 9' 

Red  S.  S.  and  shale,  41' 

S.  S.  massive, 2' 

Shale  and  slate,  dark  and  soft, 18' 

S.  S.  massive  gray, 4' 

Shales;  olive  and  gray,  soft, 37' 

S.  S.  massive  gray,  5' 

S.  S.  hard  gray,  alternating  with  dark  slates  and  shales, 36' 

S.  S.  massive  dark  gray, 10 

S.  S.  hard  gray  with  slate  partings, . . 39' 

S.  S.  massive  gray,  .....  6' 

S.  S.  gray  and  dark  slate  alternating,  12' 

Shales  and  slate  alternating  with  bands  of  hard  gray  S.  S 125' 

Slate ; soft  dark, 5' 

S.  S.  hard  gray, 11' 

Shales ; gray  and  olive  with  dark  slates  and  a few  bands  of  gray  S.  S. 

near  middle  of  the  mass,  88' 

S.  S.  gray,  alternating  with  gray  slaty  shale, 57' 

Purplish  red  and  gray  slaty  shale,  ...  12' 

S.  S.  hard  gray,  some  greenish  slaty  shale  partings, . 30' 

S.  S.  massive  light  gray,  13' 

Slates  and  shales,  purplish  red,  olive  and  gray.  Red  predominates 

near  base,  ...  77' 

S.  S.  [gray]  slates  and  shales  alternating, 92' 

Red  and  gray  shales,  soft,  . 69' 

Red  and  reddish  gray  S.  S. ; shale  partings, 9 

Slates  and  shales ; red,  olive,  and  gray — soft  with  some  sandy  bands,  . 22' 

S.  S.  gray,  with  red  slate  and  gray  shale  partings,  57' 

Red  and  reddish  gray  S.  S.  with  purplish  red  slates  and  shale,  ....  22' 

Purple  shaly  slate, 6' 

S.  S.  thin  bedded,  alternating  with  slate, 15' 

Slates;  soft  gray  with  some  shale,  53' 

Gray  S.  S.  gray  shale,  and  dark  slate  alternating, 84' 

Shale,  dark  gray  and  olive,  with  two  thin  bands  of  S.  S., 53' 

S.  S.  gray  thin  bedded,  slate  and  shale  alternating, 17' 

Shale ; soft  olive  and  gray  ferruginous 7' 

S.  S.  fine  grained  bluish  gray,  parted  by  dark  slates, 15' 

Shale ; very  soft  olive, 39' 

Purplish  red  slate  shale, 4' 

Concealed, 303' 


128  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS. 


II.  M.  CHANCE. 


Slaty  shale  ; gray  and  sandy,  15' 

Slates  and  shales  alternating  with  thin  bands  of  very  dark  S.  S.,  . . . 70' 

Slates ; dark,  with  two  thin  bands  of  S.  S., 30; 

Olive  shales  and  dark  blue  slates,  78' 

S.  S.  dark  gray,  alternating  in  bands  6"  to  12"  thick  with  dark  bluish 

shale,  63' 

Shale  ; soft  olive  with  a few  thin  bands  of  S.  S., 172' 

S.  S.  hard  massive  gray, 7' 

Olive  shale,  soft, 21' 

S.  S.  gray,  hard  and  massive, 4' 

Olive  shales,  soft ; slaty  near  bottom, 128' 

Soft  shales,  not  well  exposed,  183' 

Slate  ; soft  bluish  black, 15' 

S.  S.  gray  alternating  with  dark  gray  slates  and  olive  shales, 189' 

Total, .3,314' 

Genesee • VIII. 

Soft  dark  gray  and  olive  slates,  some  bands  of  slate, 560' 

Hamilton  flags.  VIII. 

S.  S.  thin  bedded  dark  gray,  alternating  with  olive  and  gray  shaly  slate,  110' 
Slate ; bluish  gray  and  blue,  with  some  olive  shale  and  an  occasional 

band  of  S.  S., 225' 

Soft  shaly  and  slaty  measures  not  well  exposed, 127' 

S.  S.  thin  and  flaggy  with  some  slaty  shale, 248' 

Shale  and  slate,  not  well  exposed, 176' 

S.  S.  dark ; thin  beds*  some  shale  and  some  thick  beds  blue  sandy  slate,  245' 

Total, 1,131' 

Marcellus  black  shale.  VIII. 

Shales ; soft  with  some  thin  flags  not  well  exposed, 96' 

Slate,  shaly  with  some  thin  sand  bands,  68' 

Slate,  very  dark, 68' 

Slate;  dark  blue  and  black,  soft,  158' 

Slate  ; dark,  some  few  thin  bands  gray  S.  S., 45' 

Slate  ; soft  black  and  dark  gray, 324' 


Total,  v 759' 

[Total,  VIIT.  Chemung,  Portage,  Genesee,  Hamilton  and  Marcellus,  5,764'.] 

Oriskany.  VII.  Wanting  at  Lock  Haven. 

Lower  Helderberg  Limestone.  VI. 

Limestone,  massive,  impure,  shaly  on  top, 80' 

Lime  shale  and  impure  limestone,  . 83' 

Soft  dark  bluish  black  slates,  upper  part  calcareous 177' 

Limestone,  shaly  and  massive, 30' 

Concealed  in  Valley  of  Susquehanna.  [Limestone?] — 500' 

Limestone  massive,  quarried, 25' 

Total, 895' 


FARRANDSVILLE  SWITCH  BACK  SECTION.  Cl4.  129 


Clinton.  V. 

Nearly  all  concealed  at  Mill  Hall  Gap,  shales,  slates  and  sandstones  con- 
taining the  “fossil  ” and  “ block”  iron  ores,  both  of  which  Jiave  been 
mined  by  Mill  Hall  Furnace  Co.  The  fossil  ore  is  here  about  .10' ' to 

12  ' thick, 1,0S0' 

Medina  and  Oneida  S.  S.  IV. 

S.  S.  hard  and  massive,  red,  gray,  and  white  ; not  well  exposed,  . . G95' 

Solter  S.  S.  and  shale,  forming  the  valley  between  the  two  crests  of  the 

mountain,  . . . . ....  705' 

S.  S,  hard  and  massive ; white  with  a few  beds  of  gray  S.  S.  mottled 

with  ferric  oxide,  185' 

—Concealed;  probably  softer  S.  S.  and  shale  with  some  red  bands,  118' 

S.  S.  hard,  massive,  siliceous,  dark  gray  and  greenish  gray,  iron  specked,  155' 
Not  well  exposed,  principally  hard,  massive  S.  S., 440' 

Total, 2,301' 


3.  Farrandsmlie  Switch -back  Section. 

This  was  compiled  from  exposures  along  the  switches  of 
the  abandoned  Eagleton  railroad.  A similar,  but  less  per- 
fect, section  was  made  near  the  Rock  Cabin  mines.  Both 
of  these  sections  fail  to  show  any  red  rock  at  the  horizon 
of  the  Maucli  Chunk  red  shale.  The  Conglomerate  sand- 
stones crop  out  in  bold  cliffs  at  many  places  along  the  Tan- 
gascootack  gorges,  but  their  exposures  are  so  disconnected, 
that  it  is  very  difficult  to  obtain  accurate  measurements  of 
the  whole  mass.  The  switch-back  section  is  as  follows  : 


50±  Concealed  in  Summit ; S.  S.  and  si  tale  with  one  coal  bed. 

40  S.  S.  coarse,  hard  and  white.  Top  of  No.  XII. 

4L'  Concealed  ; contains  one  coal  bed  in  upper  part. 

10'  S.  S.  greenish  gray,  usually  hard,  with  olive  shale  partings. 

8'  Concealed. 

o'  S.  S.  hard,  gray,  and  ironstained.  Olive  shale  partings. 

2'  Conglomerate,  discolored  with  ferric  oxide.  [Bottom  of  XII  ?J  Pebbles 
from  various  kinds  of  rock. 

47'  Concealed. 

20'  S.  S.  flaggy,  gray  and  hard,  streaked  with  iron. 

15'  S.  S.  grayish,  iron  stained. 

20'  Concealed. 

10'  S.  S.  Coarse,  hard,  and  discolored.  [Bottom  of  XII?] 

57'  Concealed. 

5'  S.  S.  massive  grayish;  laminated  structure. 

10'  S.  S.  massive  gray,  silicious,  flaggy  at  top. 

8'  C mcealed. 

9 G4. 


130  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  X.  CHANCE. 


15'  S.  S.  hard  and  gray. 

16'  Concealed. 

5'  S.  S.  massive,  ironstained. 

10'  S.  S.  coarse  and  fine  grained  alternating. 

75'  Concealed. 

10'  S.  S.  laminated,  greenish  gray. 

15'  S.  S.  gray,  hard  coarse  and  massive. 

15'  Concealed. 

5'  S.  S.  hard,  greenish  gray,  sometimes  massive. 

15'  Concealed. 

3'  S.  S.  coarse  and  hard,  yellowish  gray. 

85'  Concealed  to  river  level  at  mouth  of  Tangascootack  creek. 

Total  thickness  621  feet  of  which  probably  222  feet  belong 
to  the  Conglomerate  measures.  The  horizon  of  the  Lower 
Pocono  is  below  water  level  at  this  point. 


4 ■.  Furney  s Run. 

No  trustworthy  section  can  be  obtained  at  Fnrney’s,  as 
the  hillsides  are  covered  with  detritus  from  the  Conglom- 
erate sandstones  and  underlying  flags,  which  effectually 
hide  all  outcroppings  of  the  Sub-carboniferous  rocks. 

The  Pocono  measures  are  throughout,  harder  and  more 
massive  than  at  Hyner’s,  but  not  so  hard  nor  so  coarse  as 
at  Queen’s  run.  The  Lower  Pocono  here,  as  at  Queen’s 
run,  contains  but  few  red  bands  and  these  are  probably 
quite  thin. 

The  rocks  of  the  Conglomerate  series  furnish  exposures 
similar  to  those  at  Wetham  and  Glen  Union.  One  of  its 
members  is  locally  a true  conglomerate,  containing  rounded 
pebbles  from  one  third  to  three  fourths  of  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter. 

5.  Wetliam  Section. 

At  Wetham  the  Conglomerate  sandrocks  are  better  ex- 
posed than  any  of  the  underlying  rocks.  They  lie  in  the 
hill-tops,  often  jutting  out  in  slielf-like  cliffs.  Nearly  all 
the  small  ravines  (known  by  the  name  “drafts”)  terminate 
at  springs  issuing  from  the  base  of  the  Conglomerate. 

The  summits  in  this  neighborhood  are  950±  feet  above 
the  railroad  or  152o±  feet  above  tide. 


HYNER  SECTION". 


G4.  131 


The  following  section,  though  rather  incomplete,  is  as 
good  an  one  as  could  obtain. 

70'  Concealed ; soft  and  sandy  with  one  coal  bed. 

80'  S.  S.  white,  conglomeratic,  coarse  and  hard. 

20'  Concealed. 

50'  S.  S.  Coarse,  and  loose  grained ; some  conglomeratic  layers. 

100'  Concealed. 

20'  S.  S.  Coarse  and  hard  ; nearly  white,  [Base  of  No.  XII.] 

400'  Concealed;  principally  hard  gray  sandstone,  [Gray  Pocono.] 

15'  Red  and  gray  sandy  shales. 

160'  Soft  sandy  shales  with  a few  bands  of  hard  sandstone. 

6'  Red  and  gray  sandstone,  hard. 

50'  Concealed  to  R.  R.  level. 


6.  Hyner  Section. 

Hyner>  s Run  Oil  Well  Section , annexed  to  a detailed 
section  of  the  rocks  in  the  vicinity  of  Renovo.* 

The  order  of  the  Coal  Rocks  of  this  section  was  deter- 
mined by  Mr.  C.  A.  Ashburner,  from  a survey  made  near 
Renovo,  in  1875.  The  lower  part  of  the  section  is  taken 
from  the  record  [kept  by  Jas.  David,  Esq.]  of  a well  drilled 
for  oil  near  Hyner  Station  on  the  P.  and  E.  R.  R.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  section  is  supplied  from  a generalization  of 
several  intermediate  sections  of  the  surface  exposures  be- 
tween Renovo  and  Hyner,  and  may  be  taken  as  a descrip- 
tion of  the  rocks  at  any  point  between  those  two  jdaces. 

The  total  thickness  of  the  measures  described  amounts  to 
3,460  feet,  grouped  as  follows  : 

212'  4''  Lower  Productive  Coal  Measures ; S.  S.  shale,  fire- 
clays, etc.,  with  four  (4)  workable  beds  of  coal. 

245'  Conglomerate , or  Beaver  River  Group 5 (No.  XII;) 

Massive  S.  S.  parted  by  shale  and  thin-bedded  S.  S. 

The  S.  S.  of  this  group  are  white  to  yellowish  white  or 
gray  in  color,  massive,  hard,  and  coarse-grained,  mak- 
ing prominent  topographical  features. 

390'  Gray  Pocono ; Greenish  gray  thin-bedded  sandstones, 
generally  fine  grained,  with  some  brownish  mottled 
sandstones,  and  some  micaceous  beds,  separated  by 
softer  measures, — shales  or  slates, — with  an  occasional 
red  band. 


* Rewritten  from  Proceedings  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  May 
3, 1878. 


132  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

600'  lied  Pocono  ; Gray  and  greenish  gray  sandstones,  lam- 
inated and  fine  grained,  with  an  occasional  bed  of  red 
sandstone,  and  a large  percentage  of  micaceous  beds, 
alternating  with  red  and  olive  shales.  Red  color  is 
very  prominent  in  soil. 

826'  CatsJcill  red  rocks , (IX;)  Red  Sandstone  and  shale,  with 

some  bands  of  gray  sandstones,  and  shale. 

1,187'  Chemung , (VIII;)  Slates  and  shales,  bluish  in  color, 

alternating  with  dark  sandy  bands,  to  bottom  of  well. 

3,460'  4''  Total  thickness  of  rocks  described  in  section. 

Detailed  Section. 

Lower  Productive  Coal  Measures.  XIII. 

Concealed, 15' 

Coal,  [No.  5 of  Mr.  Ashburner’s  provisional  numbers,]  . 4' 

Concealed, 92' 

Coal,  [No.  4,]  3'  2" 

Fire-clay  and  “ kidney  ore,” 10' 

Shale  and  shaly  S.  S., 15' 

S.  S.  coarse-grained, 26' 

Concealed, 4' 

Coal,  [No.  3,] 4' 

Concealed, 26' 

S.  S.  gray, 10' 

Coal,  [No.  2,] 3'  2” 


Total, 212'  4'' 

Conglomerate , (No.  XII.) 

S.  S.  gray,  hard,  “upper  part  S.  S.,  lower  part  shale,”  ...  33’ 

Coal,  [No.  1,] 1' 

Conglomerate, 25' 

Concealed.  Mr.  Asliburner  states  that  some  red  shale  has 

been  found  in  this  interval, 41' 

S.  S.  hard,  gray,  coarse-grained, 25' 

S.  S.  white  and  gray,  thin  bedded,  with  some  shale,  ....  40' 

S.  S.  hard,  very  dark,  gray, 20' 

Concealed, 25' 

S.  S.  coarse  and  loose  grained,  gray,  35 

Total, 245' 

Gray  Pocono. 

Concealed;  trace  of  red,  [No.  XI?] 65' 

S.  S.  hard,  thin  bedded,  grayish  steel  color, 25' 

S.  S.  brownish,  fine  grained,  micaceous,  with  shale,  and 

braces  of  red  ; poorly  exposed, 50' 

S.  S.  fine  grained,  greenish  gray, 20' 

S.  S.  very  fine  grained,  laminated,  gray,  20' 

Shale ; with  micaceous  brownish  sands— poorly  exposed — 
trace  of  red, 45' 


IIYNER  SECTION. 


G4.  133 


S.  S.  mottled,  brownish,  micaceous  and  flaggy,  in  two  mem- 
bers, parted  by  shale, 75' 

Shale  ; with  some  fine  grained  greenish  gray  S.  S.,  . . . . 90' 


Total, 390 

Red  Pocono. 

S.  S.  and  shale,  red  and  olive,  fine  grained,  micaceous,  . . 20 

S.  S.  greenish  gray,  with  shale, 70 

S.  S.  fine  grained,  red  and  gray,  alternating  with  shale,  . . 175 

S.  S.  red  with  some  interbedded  gray, 25 

S.  S.  greenish  gray, 15' 

S.  S.  red,  20' 

Concealed, 35' 

S.  S.  greenish  gray,  hard  ; some  red  bands, 30' 

Concealed, 20' 

Shale  and  red  S.  S., 10' 

Concealed, 10' 

S.  S.  fine  grained  greenish  gray, 10' 

Concealed, 20' 

S.  S.  fine  grained  greenish  gray, 10' 

Concealed,  .......  10' 

S.  S.  red,  nearly  all  fine  grained  and  shaly,  30' 

Concealed, ...  30' 

S.  S.  hard,  dark  gray,  mottled  with  brown, 5' 

Concealed,  25' 

Shale  and  S.  S.  red, 30' 


Total, 600' 

Cats  kill  red  rocks.  No.  IX. 

Concealed ; above  well  mouth, 30' 

Drive  pipe  in  well,  “Stone  and  wash,”  “ Local  Drift,”  . . 50' 

Red  rock  ; with  iron, 30' 

Gray  rock  ; hard  and  dark, 15' 

Red  rock  ; partly  shales, 22' 

Gray  rock;  with  mica, 16' 

Red  rock;  hard, 5' 

Red  rock ; salt  water, 32' 

“Copper”  (?)  rock,  4' 

Red  rock  ; salt  water, 10' 

Gray  rock ; salt  water, 16' 

Red  S.  S. ; gas, 46' 

Red  rock  ; with  shales — gas, 52' 

Gray  rock;  very  hard, 11' 

Red  rock,  with  gray  shales, 115' 

S.  S., 4' 

RedS.  S., Ill' 

Gray  rock,  8' 

Sandy  red  shale,  gas, 37' 

Gray  rock  ; dark,  some  sandy  bands, 95' 


134  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Red  rock ; some  oil, 35' 

Shale ; sandy  and  gray,  “ partially  hard,  ” 35' 

Red  shale ; some  ore, 10' 

Gray  rock,  with  sand,  30' 

Red  shale, 7' 

Total, 826' 

Chemung. 

Shale  and  S.  S.  alternating,  blue, 67' 

S.  S.  line  and  white, 25' 

Slate,  blue, • . . . . 38' 

S.  S.  and  blue  slate,  alternating, 96' 

S.  S.  white, 6' 

S.  S.  blue,  very  hard, 55' 

S.  S.  and  shale,  blue  and  very  hard, 92' 

S.  S.  and  shale,  blue, 30' 

S.  S.  brown  and  white  ; oil  and  gas,  5' 

S.  S.  dark  blue,  with  shale, 165' 

S.  S.  dark  blue,  with  white  sand  shells, 10' 

Sand  shale  ; soft  and  blue, 33' 

Shale ; blue,  with  brown  and  black  sand  shells, 125' 

Shale;  soft  blue, 150' 

S.  S.  white  with  oil,  46' 

Shale ; sandy,  blue, 25' 

Sandy  shelly  rock,  blue, 219' 

Total  to  bottom  of  well, 1187' 

7.  Keating  Section. 

From  Shinto wn  Run  to  Keating  the  river  valley  nearly 
coincides  with  the  strike,  or  line  of  no  dip,  and  there  is 
consequently  but  little  Red  Pocono  above  water  level  in 
this  part  of  the  valley. 

At  Keating  the  top  of  the  Red  Pocono  lies  very  near 
water  level.  One  half  mile  above  the  station  the  Upper 
Pocono  is  finely  exposed. 

The  following  section  of  755  feet  was  compiled  from  meas- 
urements made  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  station. 

The  base  of  No.  XII  is  either  at  the  10'  coarse  white  sand- 
rock,  or  at  the  15'  coarse  conglomeratic  rock. 

30'  Sandy  and  shaly,  not  well  exposed. 

15'  S.  S.  hard  grayish  white. 

15'  Shale ; with  one  coal  bed,  lire-clay  floor. 

30'  S.  S.  in  two  members,  coarse  and  white. 

135'  Sandy,  not  well  exposed. 


SINNEMAHONING  SECTIONS 


G4.  135 


10'  S.  S.  coarse,  white.  [Base  of  No.  XII  ?] 

70'  S.  S.  gray  and  white  near  middle, remainder  concealed. 

15'  S.  S.  coarse  white,  thin  bed  of  conglomerate.  [Base  of  XII?] 
10'  S.  S.  thin  bedded,  gray. 

20'  S.  S.  massive,  gray. 

35'  Concealed,— sandy. 

30'  S.  S.  slialy,  dark  gray,  with  some  sandy  shale. 

25'  S.  S.  hard,  rather  coarse,  dark  gray,  and  reddish  gray,  iron 
specked. 

25'  Concealed,  (gray  S.  S.?) 

40'  Partly  concealed.  Shale,  sandy,  red,  [with  an  ore  band,]  and 
olive. 

20'  S.  S.  thin  bedded,  greenish  gray. 

60'  S.  S.  hard,  compact,  massive,  gray. 

20'  S.  S.  hard,  gray. 

25'  S.  S.  hard,  gray,  iron  specked, — trace  of  red  shale. 

25'  S.  S.  red,  shaly,  with  shale  and  gray  S.  S.  [Top  of  Red  Po- 
cono?] 

15'  S.  S.  very  massive  and  hard,  gray. 

40'  Concealed,  principally  sandy. 

10'  S.  S.  flaggy. 

15'  S.  S.  hard,  greenish  gray. 

5'  Shale,  gray. 

15'  Red  shale  and  S.  S.  to  river  level. 


8.  Sinnemalioning  Section. 

From  Wistar  to  Sinnemalioning  tlie  rocks  rise  more  than 
300  feet,  bringing  a great  part  of  tlie  Lower  (red)  Pocono 
above  water  level,  and  throwing  the  Conglomerate  sand- 
rocks  into  the  highest  knobs  at  Sinnemalioning.  The  ex- 
posures in  this  vicinity  are  not  good,  and  the  following  sec- 
tion of  1,112  feet  was  compiled  mainly  from  surface  indica- 
tions and  disconnected  outcrops.  Though  quite  faulty  in 
its  details,  it  shows  the  general  features  of  the  formations  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Sinnemalioning. 

15'  S.  S.  hard,  coarse,  white,  iron-stained,  on  Summit  1,010'  above 
R.  R. 

20'  Concealed,  softer  sandy  measures. 

50'  S.  S.  and  Conglomerate  white, — pebbles  size  of  hazel  nut. 

55'  Softer  measures  with  iron  ore. 

25'  S.  S.  thin  bedded,  yellowish,  gray. 

35'  S.  S.  white,  but  iron  stained,  [base  No.  XII?] 

40'  S.  S.  fine  grained  gray  micaceous. 

15'  Shales,  gray. 

5'  Red  and  olive  sandy  shale. 

5'  Sandy  gray -shale,  laminated  and  micaceaus. 


136  G\ 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  31.  CHANCE. 


2'  Red  shale,  [ore  bed.] 

10'  S.  S.  thin  bedded  and  fine  grained,  gray. 

GO'  S.  S.  massive,  laminated,  fine  grained ; in  cliff's. 

140'  Principally  gray  shale,  some  sandy  beds,  trace  of  red  ; gray 

S.  S.  at  base. 

60'  S.  S.  hard,  gray  and  greenish  gray,  part  concealed. 

20'  Concealed. 

60'  S.  S.  hard  and  gray. 

30'  Concealed. 

70'  S.  S.  fine  graine,d,  hard,  gray,  with  a few  red  bands. 

40'  Concealed,  soft  measures. 

20'  S.  S.  fine  grained,  gray. 

25'  S.  S.  red,  mottled,  and  grayish  red,  with  some  shale. 

35'  S.  S.  fine  grained,  gray. 

85'  S.  S.  red  and  gray,  alternating.  * 

100'  S.  S.  and  Shale,  red  and  gray, — red  predominates. 

50'  S.  S.  gray,  some  red,— poorly  exposed. 

20'  S.  S.  and  shale,  red. 

20'  S.  S.  and  shale,  red. 


9.  Sterling  Section. 

From  the  Second  Anticlinal  axis  at  Driftwood,  there  is 
a very  sharp  northwest  dip  into  the  Third  Bituminous  Coal 
Basin  at  Cameron.  At  Sterling,  which  is  but  four  miles 
from  Cameron,  much  of  the  Red  Pocono  is  below  water 
level,  while  at  the  Cameron  Coal -banks  it  lies  entirely  be- 
neath the  creek. 

The  following  section  of  1,040  feet  was  compiled  at  Ster- 
ling, from  disconnected  outcrops  and  surface  indications. 
At  many  places  on  the  hillsides  where  there  is  no  actual 
outcropping  of  the  strata,  their  character  can  be  determined 
with  a fair  degree  of  accuracy,  for  as  there  are  but  few 
rolled  pieces  of  rock,  and  the  debris  of  broken  stone  are 
nearly  in  place,  and  the  fragments  of  one  layer  are  not 
much  mixed  with  those  from  that  above  it,  every  change  in 
the  character  of  the  underlying  rock  can  be  immediately 
detected  by  the  surface  detritus.  In  some  places  these 
changes  are  so  distinctly  marked  upon  the  surface  that  they 
give  the  mountains  a banded  appearance,  which  is  often 
noticeable  sometimes  at  a distance  of  two  or  three  miles. 


50'  Shale  with  bands  of  S.  S.  Summit  1,031'  above  R.  R. 
40'  S.  S.  hard,  white  and  massive,  iron  stained. 

45'  Softer  measures. 


CAMERON  SECTION. 


G4.  137 


35'  S.  S.  hard,  gray. 

25'  S.  S.  hard,  grayish  white,  fine  grained. 

70'  S.  S.  soft  thin  bedded,  shaly,  with  some  shale. 

40'  S.  S.  coarse  gray  iron  stained. 

125'  Principally  gray  thin  bedded  S.  S.  and  shale,  thin  red 
band  near  middle. 

125'  Principally  gray  thin  bedded  S.  S.  and  shale,  no  actual 
exposures. 

25'  Shale;  red  and  olive. 

25'  S.  S.  shaly,  gray,  with  shale. 

20'  Shale ; sandy,  with  some  thin  beided  S.  S. 

70'  S.  S.  hard,  thin  bedded  gray,  with  some  sandy  shale. 

20'  S.  S.  gray,  and  Shale,  with  trace  of  red,  [good  farming  land 
up  to  this  point.] 

70'  S.  S.  gray,  and  shale,  (some  red?) 

30'  S.  S.  red  and  gray. 

30'  S.  S.  gray  and  greenish  gray. 

170'  Red  Shale  and  Red  S.  S.  with  some  gray  S.  S. 

25'  Shale  ; red  and  gray  with  some  S.  S.  to  R.  R.  level. 


10.  Cameron  Section. 

At  the  Cameron  inclined  coal  plane  the  Conglomerate  and 
Coal  Measure  rocks,  are  brought  very  low  by  the  Third 
Synclinal  axis.  The  Red  Pocono  is  entirely  beneath  water 
level  at  the  plane,  but  near  Cameron  Station  its  upper 
layers  are  exposed  near  stream  level.  The  Cameron  Well 
record  shows  that  this  group  of  measures  is  339  feet  thick, 
with  Chemung  Measures  immediately  underlying  it.  The 
Red  Catskill  is  therefore  seemingly  absent. 

The  lowest  coal  discovered  by  the  coal  company  lies  about 
490  feet  above  the  well  mouth.  It  is  underlaid  by  30  feet 
of  hard  coarse  sandstone,  and  this  in  turn,  by  180  feet  of 
sandy  measures  in  which  some  very  hard  massive,  coarse- 
grained sandstones  occur,  and  which  I have  considered  to 
contain  the  lower  layer  of  No.  XII. 

The  vertical  section  is  as  follows : 

3'  “Mount  Hope  Coal.” 

80'  Concealed ; — sandy  and  slaty  shale  with  Frog  Hollow  Coal 

Bed? 

2'  “Twin  seam  ” coal. 

20'  Shale,  sandy  and  slaty. 

2'  “ Star  vein  ” coal. 

15'  Concealed. 

4'  Coal  in  prospecting  holes. 


138  G4.  REPOET  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


20'  S.  S.  and  shale, 

10'  S.  S.  hard  gray  and  coarse, 

55'  Concealed. 

125'  S.  S.  coarse  and  massive,  in  two — sometimes  three  —sub-divi- 
sions. 

305'  Principally  gray  S.  S.  and  shale,  alternating  to  mouth  of  oil 
well. 


1 30  foot  rock. 


Cameron  Well. 

Situated  \ mile  above  Cameron  Station.  Drilled  in  1865-6.  Authority, 


Cameron  Coal  Company. 

Gray  flag,  first  rock, 113  to  113 

Chocolate,  ( red ,)  8 to  121 

Blue, 59  to  180 

Chocolate,  ( red ,) 41  to  221 

Blue,  ...  14  to  235 

Chocolate,  (red,) 24  to  259 

Blue, 28  to  287 

Chocolate,  (red,) 104  to  391 

Gray,  31  to  425 

Chocolate,  {Red,)  [base  red  Pocono,] 35  to  460 

Gray,-  120  to  580 

Dark  iron  gray, 9 to  589 

Light  gray,  37  to  626 

Iron  gray, 37  to  663 

Light  gray,  rock  hard,  gas  increasing, 84  to  747 

Yellowish,  very  sharp  grit, 42  to  789 

Light  gray,  large  quantities  of  gas,  rock  not  very  hard,  . 21  to  810 
Blue,  soft,  shelly,  growing  harder  and  whiter,  then  chang- 
ed to  a brown  rock,  showing  a fresh  color,  thence  to 

blue, 64  to  874 

Growing  whiter, 20  to  894 

Red , (Chemung,) 4 to  898 

Blue,  rock  very  hard, 73  to  971 

No  oil.  Total  depth  of  well,  971  feet. 


Note. — Though  this  is  an  old  well,  and  was  drilled  as  a “wet  hole,”  [i.  e. 
no  casing  was  used  to  shut  off  the  water,]  the  record  within  certain  limits  may 
be  relied  upon,  for 

1st,  There  was  little  probability  of  error  in  fixing  the  top  of  the  red  rock, 
for  it  was  first  struck  at  a comparatively  shallow  depth. 

2d,  The  base  of  the  red  measures  at  460  feet  is  corroborated  by  the  Empori- 
um section. 

3d,  The  absence  of  red  from  the  underlying  rocks  can  be  accepted,  for  if 
any  was  present  it  would  surely  have  been  detected,  even  though  the  well  was 
drilled  wet  and  little  red  is  seen  in  these  rocks  at  Emporium. 


11.  Emporium  Section. 

Emporium  Junction  is  but  four  miles  north  by  west  from 
Cameron,  yet  in  this  distance  the  rocks  rise  about  620  feet. 


EMPORIUM  SECTION. 


G4.  139 


for  at  Cameron — which  is  57  feet  below  Emporium  Junc- 
tion *■ — the  base  of  the  red  Pocono  is  460  feet  more  or  less 
beneath  railroad  level,  while  at  the  Junction  it  is  more  than 
100  feet  above  the  railroad — 460/-f-100/  +57'=617  feet. 

On  the  hill  south  of  the  Junction  a few  feet  of  the  soft 
red  shale  of  XI  caps  the  summit ; the  lowest  member  of  No. 
XII  has  therefore  just  been  removed  from  the  hilltop  by 
erosion.  This  summit  is  890  feet±  above  railroad  level, 
which  height  may  be  taken  as  the  elevation  of  No.  XII  at 
this  point — 890' — 617'  (the  rise  from  Cameron)=273  feet  as 
the  elevation  above  Cameron  at  which  the  base  of  No.  XII 
should  be  found.  The  Cameron  section  shows  about  280  feet. 
These  calculations  are  necessarily  more  or  less  inaccurate, 
as  the  elevations  used  were  obtained  by  barometric  readings; 
but  they  approximate  the  truth  closely  enough  to  show 
that  the  error  in  the  horizon  of  No.  XII  at  Cameron  must 
be  very  small. 

The  small  patch  of  Maucli  Chunk  red  shale  lying  on  top 
the  hill  near  Emporium  is  quite  variable  in  thickness.  On 
the  north  side  of  the  hill  it  is  entirely  absent,  its  horizon 
being  apparently  filled  by  Pocono  sandstone,  but  this  ap- 
pearance may  possibly  be  due  to  the  sharp  south  dip  per- 
vading the  rocks  at  this  point. 

The  Conglomerate  occurs  in  the  hill  one  fourth  of  a mile 
farther  south  where  it  bluffs  out  in  cliffs  at  a lower  level  than 
the  exposure  of  red  shale. 

It  is  probable  that  in  the  following  section,  the  thickness 
of  the  upper  rocks  has  been  somewhat  exaggerated  by  the 
sharp  southeast  dip. 

Summit  below,  just  below  XII. 

175'  Soft  shales,  some  red  shale  of  XI  near  top,  forming  red  soil. 

75'  S.  S.  and  shale,  hard  gray  S.  S.,  one  band  conglomeratic 
S.  S.  with  scattered  pebbles. 

300'  Partly  concealed,  S.  S.  and  soft  gray  shale. 

210'  Gray  S.  S.  and  shale,  with  a few  bands  of  red  shale,  [red 
vespertine.] 

100'  Red  shale,  alternating  with  gray  S.  S.  and  shale. 

10'  S.  S.  hard  greenish  gray  ; manganese  specks. 

25'  Red  S.  S.  and  shale. 

15'  Sandy  gray  flags. 


[*  Report  X.,  page  142.] 


140  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


10'  Sandy  gray  flags  overlaid  by  band  of  olive  shale. 
8'  Red  shale  and  S.  S.  with  some  olive. 

15'  S.  S.  thin  bedded  dark  gray,  shaly  on  top, 

£ 0'  Shaly  slate ; soft  olive, 

50-75'  Concealed  to  mouth  of  well, 


Chemung 

measures. 


12.  Taylor  and  Eakin , Emporium  Well. 

In  this  well  some  thin  bands  of  Chemung  red  rock  were 
encountered  at  250  feet.  They  were  of  the  purplish  hue 
characteristic  of  the  Chemung  red  bands.  As  the  well  com- 
menced drilling  at  about  100  feet  or  more  beneath  the  Red 
Pocono,  these  red  bands  lie  at  least  350  feet  beneath  that 
formation  and  may  (on  account  of  the  sharp  dip)  under- 
lie it  by  400  feet.  In  the  Cameron  well  a thin  red  band  is 
noted  in  the  Chemung  at  a depth  of  894  feet  which  is  434 
feet  beneath  the  lowest  red  band  of  the  Red  Pocono.  It  is 
quite  probable  therefore  that  these  two  red  layers  are  iden- 
tical. The  first  red  horizon  in  the  Chemung  of  the  McKean 
county  oil  wells  lies  at  about  the  same  depth  beneath  the 
Red  Pocono,  and  also  shows  this  characteristic  purplish 
hue. 

I have  examined  an  incomplete  set  of  sand  pumpings  of 
the  Taylor  and  Eakin  well,  with  the  following  result.  They 
were  preserved  in  bottles  labeled  with  the  depth. 


Labels. 

“ First  50  ft.,” 
“ 100  ft.,” 
“250  ft.,” 

“255  ft.,” 

“265  ft.,” 
“300  ft.,” 
“310  ft.,” 
“400  ft.,” 
“475  ft.,” 
“516  ft.,” 


Description  of  Contents. 

Fine  dark  gray  shaly  sand. 

Same  ; trace  of  dark  slate. 

Red  shale ; some  light  gray  S.  S.  and  dark 
slate. 

S.  S.  fine  grained,  hard  grayish  white,  mica- 
ceous mixed  with  some  dark  shale. 

Red  shale. 

Fine  grayish  white,  hard  sand,  and  gray  shale. 
Gray  shale,  and  some  fine  grayish  white  sand. 
Bluish  gray  sandy  shale. 

Dark  slate  and  some  dark  fine  S.  S. 

Soft  shale  and  fine  sand,  ground  to  a powder. 


Total  depth  of  well  1410  feet. 


13.  Emporium  Well. 

Drilled  in  1878  on  the  Bond  Farm,  4 miles  northwest  of 


RATIIBUN. 


G4.  141 


Emporium,  Hugliston,  Ernst  & Co.,  lessees.  Authority: 
Mr.  Hugliston. 

Record. 


Conductor, 25  to  25 

Shells,*  mostly  tine  S.  S., 200  to  225 

Red  Rock, 12  to  237 

Hard  shells  and  “ rubber  rock,” G8  to  305 

Hard  shells, 40  to  345 

Red  Rock,  . 5 to  350 

Shells  and  “ rubber  rock,” 75  to  425 

Soft  slate,  175  to  000 

1st  S.  S.  slight  gas  show, 55  to  655 

Slate  and  shells, 295  to  950 

2d  S.  S.,  70  to  1020 

Hard  shells  and  rubber  rock,” 55  to  1075 

Pebble  sand,  4 to  1079 

Soft  slate, 250  to  1329 

Sand  shells  and  slate  mixed, 278  to  1607 


Cased  at  305'  with  5%"  casing.  Salt  water  at  320'.  Cased 
smaller  casing  (?)  426'.  Unproductive. 

Note:  This  well  also  shows  the  Cliemung  red  horizon. 
It  probably  commenced  drilling  at  an  horizon  geologically 
level  with  the  Taylor  and  Eakin  Well  mouth.  It  is  given 
in  the  driller’s  nomenclature. 


H.  Ratlibun. 

From  Emporium  westward  to  St.  Mary’s  there  are  but 
few  exposures.  The  Conglomerate  is  caught  in  the  hill- 
tops at  Beecliwood  and  Rathbun  where  coal  has  been 
found  in  its  upper  portion  and  immediately  overlying  it. 

The  Gray  Pocono  is  very  soft  and  presents  no  exposures 
except  at  creek  level.  The  following  section  was  compiled 
principally  from  surface  indications  : 

50'  Sandy,  not  well  exposed,  on  summits. 

15  Slate,  blue. 

— Coal. 

60'  Concealed contains  beds  of  sandstone. 

60'  Sandstone ; hard  and  coarse. 

115'  Concealed, — some  hard  coarse  white  S.  S. 

215'  Concealed, — soft  measures,  some  sandy  bands  and  one 

bed  conglomeritic  sandstone.  (?) 

60'  Shale, — soft,  dark,  and  slaty  to  R.  R.  level. 

*A  shell  is  any  hard  stratum, — generally  sandy. 


142  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

The  top  layers  of  the  Red  Pocono  are  exposed  in  the 
creek  bed  a short  distance  below  Rathbnn. 

At  St.  Mary’s  the  Red  Pocono  is  far  beneath  water  level 
and  only  a very  limited  portion  of  the  Gray  Pocono  can  be 
seen.  The  Red  Shale  of  No.  XI  may  be  seen  in  cuttings 
along  the  railroad  but  a short  distance  from  West  Creek 
Summit.  The  same  stratum  is  again  exposed  on  the  railroad 
a short  distance  west  of  St.  Mary’s. 


15.  Bidg way  Section. 

This  section  was  compiled  from  a series  of  surface  ex- 
posures between  the  coal-bank, — which  lies  about  two  thirds 
of  a mile  north  from  town, — and  the  railroad  station. 


50'-f-Shaly  measures,  in  summit  above  coal,  contains  a massive 
friable  sandstone. 

3'  Coal  (mined)  Mercer  group  ? 

55'  Shaly  measures,  some  sandstone. 

35'  Sandstone,  hard,  massive,  conglomeratic,  forming  a bold 
bench. 

65'  Not  well  exposed,  but  evidently  contain  much  sandy  shale 
and  sandstone. 

30'  Sandstone,  massive,  forms  prominent  bench. 

45'  Soft  measures  not  well  exposed,  (No.  XI?) 

12'  Foliated  sandstone,  sometimes  massive  and  conglomeratic 
with  flat  pebbles.  ( Sub-olean , Shenango  SS.) 

18'  Shaly  measures  to  railroad  level. 

10'  Concealed  to  well  mouth. 


Dickinson  Well  Record. 

Sandstone, 

Slate 

Fireclay, 

Sandstone, 

Slate,  

Sandstone, 

Soapstone, ’ 

Sandstone, 

Dark  slate, 

Sandstone, 

Slate,  

Sandstone, 

Slate,  

Sandstone, 

Red  Sandstone, 

Gray  Sandstone,  


138 

to 

138 

30 

to 

168 

2 

to 

170 

13 

to 

183 

42 

to 

225 

8 

to 

233 

27 

to 

260 

23 

to 

283 

14 

to 

297 

11 

to 

308 

30 

to 

338 

9 

to 

347 

11 

to 

358 

9 

to 

367 

10 

to 

377 

9 

to 

386 

RIDGEWAY  SECTION. 


G4.  143 


Red  Sandstone, 

Flint, 

Red  Sandstone, 

Blue  Sandstone, 

Red  Sandstone, 

Blue  Sandstone, 

Red  Sandstone, 

Blue  Sandstone, 

Red  Sandstone, 

Blue  Sandstone, ' 

Red  Sandstone, 

Gray  Sandstone, 

Red  Sandstone, 

Gray  Sandstone, 

Light  colored  very  hard— sometimes  pebble  bearing — 

sandstone, 

Total  depth  of  well  772  feet. 

Drilled  at  Ridgway  about  1884-5.  Authority,  J.  P.  Lesley. 


to  410 

to  — 

. 98 1 

to  509 

6 

to  515 

. 41 

to  556 

. 15 

to  571 

. 22 

to  593 

5 

to  598 

. 23 

to  621 

5 

to  626 

6 

to  632 

. 43 

to  675 

. 31 

to  706 

. 54 

to  760 

’ . 10+  to  770 

Wilcox  Wells. 

These  three  wells  are  situated  on  the  West  Branch  of  the 
Clarion  river,  4J  miles  north  from  Wilcox.  The  records  ex- 
hibit the  same  features  which  by  generalization  may  be  ex- 
pressed thus : 


Gray  Pocono : — Shale  and  gray  sand,  (including  drive 

pipe  ) 100' 

Red  Pocono : — Red  shale  and  red  sandstone  alternating 

with  gray,  ...  275' 

Chemung : — Gray  and  brown  shales,  slates,  and  sand- 
stones,   1500'+ 


Mr.  Asliburner  places  the  base  of  the  Conglomerate  (Olean) 
about  250  feet*  above  the  well  mouths.  I am  inclined  to 
place  it  somewhat  lower,  but  as  there  are  no  exposures  near 
the  wells,  its  horizon  cannot  be  accurately  determined.  A 
coal  bed  has  been  discovered  370'  above  the  wells. 

Wilcox  Well , No.  3. 


Loam  and  sand, 5 to  5 

Loam  and  gravel, 5 to  10 

Gravel  and  pebble, 10  to  20 

Gravel  and  sand, 5 to  25 


*In  Mr.  Ashburner’s  paper  on  “Oil  Well  Records,”  published  since  the 
above  was  written,  the  base  of  the  Olean  is  placed  125'  above  No.  2,  (about 
100'  above  No.  3.) 


144  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 

Gravel  and  pebble,  5 to  30 

Gravel  and  sandrock,  ...  # 5 to  35 

Quicksand  and  coarse  pebble, 5 to  40 

Fine  sand  and  gray  slate,  [Driye  pipe  43',] 5 to  45 

Gray  slate, 35  to  80 

Gray  sand, 37  to  117 

Red  slate  or  shale, 18  to  135 

Red  shale  rock,  hard,  10  to  145 

Gray  sandrock, 10  to  155 

Red  shale, 5 to  160 

Red  slate, 20  to  180 

Gray  slate, 25  to  205 

Red  slate, 105  to  310 

Red  shale,  15  to  325 

Gray  slate  and  sand, 15  to  3t0 

Gray  slate  and  shell, 15  to  355 

Red  slate, 25  to  380 

Gray  slate, 15  to  395 

Gray  slate  and  shell, 20  to  415 

Gray  sand, 15' to  430 

Gray  slate, 5 to  435 

Gray  sandrock, 7 to  442 

Clover  seed  rock,  8 to  450 

Gray  shale,  . . 15  to  465 

Dark  gray  slate  and  shell, 75  to  540 

Gray  slate  and  shell, 7 to  547 

Gray  slate.  Cased  547',  43  to  590 

Gray  slate,  hard.  Gas  vein  at  593', 75  to  665 

Dark  hard  gray  shale, 30  to  695 

Gray  slate  and  sand, 5 to  700 

Hard  gray  sand,  15  to  715 

Light  sand  with  shale, 5 to  720 

White  and  gray  sand,  55  to  775 

Hard  and  fine  gray  sand,  25  to  800 

Fine  dark  gray  smd,  . . . 5 to  805 

Gray  slate,  . . 5 to  810 

Gray  slate  and  shale, 5 to  815 

Fine  gray  sand, 23  to  838 

Red  slate, 7 to  845 

Gray  sand, 25  to  870 

Red  slate, 10  to  880 

Gray  slate, 35  to  915 

Red  slate, 5 to  9*0 

Gray  slate,  15  to  935 

Soft  gray  sand,  5 to  940 

Soft  gray  and  white  sand, 15  to  955 

Dark  gray  sand 5 to  960 

Hard  gray  sand 5 to  965 

Gray  sand  and  si  ite, 5 to  970 

Fine  hard  dark  gray  sand,  5 to  975 

Red  slate, 5 to  980 

Gray  slate, 35  to  1015 


RIDGWAY  SECTION.  G4.  145 

Hard  gray  sand, 20  to  1035 

Gray  slate, 35  to  1070 

Gray  sand,  10  to  1030 

Gray  shale, 15  to  1095 

Gray  sand  and  very  hard  shells, 5 to  1100 

Soft  gray  sand, 15  to  1115 

Gray  and  white  shell, 10  to  1125 

Close  soft  white  sand,  [oil  smell  at  1132',] 20  to  1145 

Hard  gray  shells, ....  20  to  1165 

Gray  slate,  [gas  and  oil  smell  at  1182',] 15  to  1180 

White  and  gray  sand  and  pebbles, 10  to  1190 

Close  white  sand,  . . 5 to  1195 

Gray  sandstone  and  white  pebbles,  20  to  1215 

Coarse  white  sand, 5 to  1220 

Silver  gray  sand, 10  to  1230 

Fine  white  sand, 5 to  1235 

Gray  slate  and  shell, 75  to  1310 

Gray  sand, 20  to  1330 

White  sand, . 10  to  1340 

Slate, 5 to  1345 

Coarse  gray  sand,  ...  10  to  1355 

Soft  white  sand,  5'  gray  in  middle, 15  to  1370 

Slate  and  hard  shell, 15  to  1385 

Gray  hard  shells,  30  to  1415 

Gray  slate,  shelly  at  bottom, 25  to  1440 

Hard  gray  sandstone,  10  to  1450 

White  sand, 5 to  1455 

Gray  slate, 35  to  1490 

Hard  gray  shale, 5 to  1495 

Gray  sand, 5 to  1500 

Close  white  sand,  10  to  1510 

Gray  slate,  shelly  at  bottom, 25  to  1535 

Hard  white  sand, 10  to  1545 

Gray  shell, 5 to  1550 

Gray  slate, 25  to  1575 

Gray  sand  and  shell, 15  to  1590 

Gray  slate, 15  to  1605 

Gray  sand, 20  to  1625 

Gray  slate, ...  10  to  1635 

Gray  slate,  and  shell,  [gray  shale — oil— at  1685  ] . . . 50  to  1685 

Crevice,  tilled  with  quicksand,  2 to  1687 

Dark  sand,  [oil  at  1690',]  3 to  1690 

Crevice,  with  loose  stones,  containing  oil,  ......  5 to  1695 

Dark  sand,  oil, 5 to  1700 

Coarse  sand,  oil,  to  1707, 5 to  1705 

Loose  slate,  . . 10  to  1715 

Light  colored  slate,  [sand pumped  oil  at  1720?]  . . . 65  to  1780 

Crevice,  full  of  stones  and  sand— gas,  . . ....  4 to  1784 

Dark  sand,  8 to  1792 

Light  colored  slate, 16  to  1803 

Hard  tine  sand,  15  to  1823 

White  and  red  sand  mixed, 9 to  1832 

10  G4. 


146  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  ft.  M.  CHANCE. 


Fine  red  and  white  sand, . . 11  to  1843 

? to  bottom  of  well,  7 to  1850 


Cased  5g"  casing  at  547'  Production  doubtful.  Pumped  since 
January  1st,  1878,  and  up  to  June  13th  had  not  averaged  one  bar- 
rel per  day  of  merchantable  oil. 


Marienmlle. 

The  Hunt  and  Towler  ay  ell  record  given  below  furnishes 
an  excellent  connection  between  the  Ridgway  and  Wilcox 
red  bands  and  the  red  rocks  of  the  Clarion  oil  belt.  This 
well  is  situated  near  Marienville  in  Forest  county. 

Above  the  well  the  following  succession  is  rather  poorly 
exposed : 

Sandstone  in  summit,  very  massive,  resembling  the  Home- 

wood  sandstone, 50'4- 

Soft  shales  with  thin  coal  seam  and  ore  bed ; a few  sandy 

layers, 40'± 

Concealed  to  well  mouth,  interval  rather  uncertain,  but 
with  no  connection  for  dip, —50' 


Hunt  and  Towler  Well  No.  3. 


Conductor, 8 to  8 

Sandstone ; yellow, 30  to  38 

Slate ; blue, 24  to  62 

Coal, — 

Sandstone,  pebbly, 98  to  160 

Slate ; blue,  ...  25  to  185 

Sandstone.  Base  of  No.  XII,  . . . 70  to  255 

Slate,  with  red  bands.  No.  XI, 70  to  325 

Sandstone,  white, 45  to  370 

Slate,  black, 85  to  455 

Sandstone, 100  to  555 

Slate,  bluish-gray,  20  to  575 

Sandstone,  close,  pebbly, 13  to  588 

Slate, 204  to  792 

Red  slate, 25  to  817 

Black  slate  and  shells, 18  to  835 

Red  Slate , gas, 76  to  911 

Black  slate,  12  to  923 

Slate  and  shells, 30  to  953 

Gray  sand, 15  to  968 

Red  rock , 10  to  978 

Black  slate, 25  to  1003 

Gray  sand, 20  to  1023 

Black  slate, 25  to  1048 

Gray  slate, 15  to  1063 


EIDGWAY  SECTION. 


G4.  147 


Red  slate, 15  to  1078 

Black  slate, Ill  to  1192 

Sand  shells, 15  to  1207 

Chocolate  slate,  20  to  1227 

Slate,  sand  shells,  blue  mud, 83  to  1310 

Measured  depth  of  well, — to  1305 


This  record  combined  with  the  surface  section  shows  a 
great  development  of  the  Conglomerate  measures.  A sim- 
ilar expansion  of  this  series  (No.  XII)  is  seen  on  the  Alle- 
gheny river  at  Great  Bend  in  Warreri  county. 

This  Great  Bend  section  is  here  introduced  to  show  the 
character  of  No.  XII,  and  the  (almost  ?)  total  disappearance 
of  the  Bed  Pocono  against  a Chemung  floor. 


Kinzua , or  Great  Bend  Section. 


Summit  Coal  Hill  Knob,  above  ocean, 2154 

Concealed;  soft  measures, S' 

S.  S.  hard,  massive,  coarse,  loose-grained,  (about,)  . . 20' 

Concealed ; soft  measures, 25' 

Coal;  (reported,) 2' 

Concealed ; soft  measures, 25' 

Coal;  (cannel,)  overlaid  by  slates, 3'  4"  \ 


Fire-clay,  about 2' 

Concealed,  S.  S.,  (reported,)  containing  soft  meas- 
ures,   61' 

S.  S.  coarse  and  massive, 20' 

Concealed  soft  measures  with  Quaker  Hill  Coal,  . . 62' 

Conglomerate,  pea  to  hazelnut, 10'  ) 

Conglomeritic,  coarse  S.S.  with  some  conglomerate,  15'  j 

Conglomerate,  pea  to  hazelnut, 15'  } 77' 

Conglomerate  and  conglomeritic  S.S.  in  thin  layers,  33' 


Conglomerate;  hazelnut  to  egg, 4' 


Total  Conglomerate  Measures, 


316' 


Upper  Pocono,  and  Chemung. 

Concealed,  soft  measures 24' 

S.  S.  massive,  coarse  grained, 32' 

Shale;  soft  olive,  with  sandy  layers  1"  to  6"  thick,  ...  51' 

S.  S.  dark,  slaty,  thin  bedded,  fine  grained, 5' 

Shale,  sandy,  underlaid  by  sandy  slate,  some  thin  sand 

beds,  39' 

S.  S.  slaty  thin  bedded  fine  grained,  some  shale 6' 

Shale ; with  a few  beds  of  slaty  S.  S.  6"  to  1'  thick,  . . 41' 
S.  S.  slaty  fine  grained, 3' 


148  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  II.  M.  CHANCE. 


Shale;  bluish,  sandy  and  slaty, 

S.  S.  hard,  thin  bedded,  slaty,  bluish  gray, 

Slates,  sandy  beds  to  | inch  thick ; dark  gray,  .... 
S.  S.  grayish,  slaty,  false  bedded  and  fine  grained,  . . . 

Slate  and  shale, 

S.  S.  slaty  thin  bedded, 

Slate ; sandy,  with  slaty  shale,  dark,  beds  3"  to  18"  thick, 

Red  and  greenish  sandy  shale, 

S.  S.  massive,  fine  grained,  hard,  grayish, 4'  \ 

flaggy,  fine  grained,  grayish, 4'  > 

massive  loose  grained,  fine, 9'  ) 

Shales,  soft  olive,  clayey  near  bottom, 

Red  sandy  shale, 

Shale;  olive  and  blue,  sandy, 

S.  S.  hard,  massive,  grayish  iron  stained, 10'  \ 


hard,  flaggy  false-bedded,  2'  > 

hard,  massive, 2'  ) 

Shale  ; bluish  olive, 

Concealed,  (soft  ) 

Shale  ; soft  bluish,  a few  hard  bands, 

S.  S.  flaggy,  blue, V , 

Shale,  blue  sandy, 1'  to  1'  6"  > 

S.  S.  hard,  blue, 1 ' 


Shale  ; blue  iron  stained,  

S.  S.  massive  fine  grained,  hard,  oxide  of  man-  ) 

ganese  spots, 3'  I 

false  bedded,  yellowish  gray, 7 j 

massive  hard,  yellowish  gray,  2' 

coarsegrained  iron  stained,  (sanguinolites,)  3'  I 

pebbly — pebbles  size  of  wheat, 2’  [ 

thin  bedded  fine  grained, T j 

Shale ; olive  to  chocolate,  concretionary, 

Concealed  from  26'  to  45', 

S.  S.  shaly,  greenish  gray,  mixed  with  red, 

Concealed,  softer  measures, 

S.  S.  or  sandy  shale,  greenish  gray  and  red, 

Shale  ; olive  and  brownish, 

S.  S.  thin  bedded,  flaggy,  6'  to  8', 

Shale  ; dark,  

Spirifer  band, 

Shale ; soft,  olive  and  chocolate  color, 

Shale;  dark  and  slaty,  breaking  into  aciculous  fragments, 
Concealed  to  level  of  Kinzua  creek,  


17' 

5' 

21' 

13' 

4' 

6' 

12' 

3' 


17' 


43' 

2' 

9' 


14' 


3' 

62' 

15' 


3' 


9' 


18' 


27' 

26'-}- 

18' 

11' 

10' 

34' 

8' 

15' 

1' 

8' 

C' 

6' 


Total  Upper  Pocono  and  Chemung, 646'-}- 

Tlie  Lower  or  Red  Pocono  is  apparently  absent  in  this 
section  and  the  Chemung  lies  high  up  near  the  Conglomer- 
ate. It  is  not  possible  to  place  with  any  accuracy  the  di- 
viding line  between  the  Upper  Pocono  and  the  Chemung. 
The  total  thickness  of  rocks  described  in  section  is  926'-{-. 


RIDGWAY  SECTION. 


G4 149 


The  exposures  from  which  this  section  was  made,  are  the 
best  that  have  been  found  in  Warren  county. 


Snydersburg  Well. 

This  well  is  situated  at  Snydersburg  in  Clarion  county, 
at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Clarion  Oil-belt,  eight  miles 
northeast  from  Shippenville. 

The  well  mouth  is  ninety  feet  more  or  less  below  the  Fer- 
riferous Limestone.  It  shows  the  horizon  of  No.  XI  by  a 
red  band  at  a depth  of  300  feet,  and  the  place  of  the  Oil 
sand  group  is  marked  by  two  heavy  red  bands. 


Well  mouth,  above  ocean,  (bar,,) 1470± 

Couductor, 14  to  14 

Bluff  sand, 156  to  170 

Mourffain  sand, 70  to  249 

Slate  and  shells, 60  to  300 

Red  Rock,  7 to  307 

Slate  and  shells, 282  to  589 

Soft  slate,  2 to  591 

Pebble  sand, 5 to  596 

Shells,  slate  and  sand, 138  to  734 

First  sand, 30  to  764 

Slate, 110  to  874 

‘•Little”  Red  Rock, 27  to  901 

Second  sand, 20  to  921 

White  sand, 5 to  926 

“Big”  Red  Rock, 40  to  966 

Black  slate, 50  to  1016 

Stray  sand, 17  to  1033 

Third  sand, 12  to  1045 

Slate,  9 to  1054 

Third  sand, 11  to  1065 

Slate,  35  to  1100 

Fourth  sand, 11  to  1111 

Slate,  96  to  1207 


Sligo  Well. 

This  also  shows  the  red  bands  of  No.  XI  at  a depth  of 
270  feet  in  the  well. 

The  well  is  situated  at  Sligo  in  Piney  twp.  Clarion  county, 
six  miles  southeast  of  the  oil  belt.  The  horizon  of  the  oil 
sand  group  is  marked  by  a series  of  red  bands. 


150  Gr4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


It  was  drilled  in  August,  1865  and  was  therefore  a “wet- 
hole.” 

The  Ferriferous  Limestone  is  probably  about  140  feet 
above  the  well  mouth. 


Conductor,  ...  . 15  to  15 

Slate;  (soft and  light,  22',  black  5',) 27  to  42 

Sandstone ; hard  , 7 to  49 

Slate ; soft  and  black, 6 to  55 

Sandstone ; hard,  7 to  62 

Slate ; shelly, 3 to  65 

Coal, 2 to  67 

Sandstone;  (water  at  128',) 116  to  183 

Slate  ; top  hard,  bottom  soft, 85  to  268 

Red  Rock  ; soft  slate, 2 to  270 

Sandstone ; soft, 10  to  280 

Slate,  90  to  370 

Sandstone ; close  grained  and  blue, 20  to  390 

Slate,  49  to  439 

Sandstone ; hard  and  blue, 27  to  466 

Slate  ; soft  “ resembling  fire-clay,” 284  to  750 

Red  Rock  ; soft  slate, 5 to  755 

Sandstone ; hard,  10  to  765 

Slate ; blue, 21  to  786 

Red  Rock;  (slate,) 29  to  815 

Slate ; blue, 77  to  892 

Red  Rock  ; slate, 3 to  895 

Slate;  brown,  30  to  925 

Slate  ; hard  and  soft  alternating,  (oil,)  112  to  1037 

Slate;  blue  and  shelly,  14  to  1051 

Sandstone  ; blue,  30  to  1081 

Sandstone ; blue  and  red, 36  to  1117 

Sandstone  ; white  and  hard, 11  to  1128 

Sandstone ; red  and  white, 13  to  1141 

Sandstone ; blue  and  red, 10  to  1151 


Salt  water  at  128',  880',  450'.  No  paying  production  of 
oil. 

This  and  the  preceding  record  are  reprinted  from  report 
Y.Y.  on  Clarion  county. 


John  Smith  Well. 

This  is  situated  in  Brady  twp.  Butler  county  in  pro- 
longation of  a 22°  line  S.  W.  from  the  Venango  oil  belt  at 
Bullion  Bun.  The  record  below  is  reprinted  from  report 
Y.  to  show  the  connection  between  the  Beaver  Biver  and 
Clarion  county  sections : 


RIDGWAY  SECTION. 


G4.  151 


Slate  and  fire-clay, 230  to  £30 

Limestone;  Ferriferous, 15  to  345 

Slate  and  clay, 27  to  272 

Sand-rock,  18  to  290 

Black  slate, 110  to  400 

Sand-rock, 05  to  465 

Slate,  3 to  468 

Mountain  sand,  ...  100  to  568 

Slate  and  shells,  (No.  XI?) • 72  to  640 

Gray  sand, 50  to  690 

Slate  and  shells, 10  to  700 

Sand-rock, 30  to  730 

Slate, 180  to  910 

Sand-rock, 26  to  936 

Slate  and  shells,  ....  119  to  1055 

Red  Rock, 60  to  1115 

Slate  and-sliells,  15  to  1130 

First  sand,  60  to  1190 

Slate, 85  to  1275 

Second  sand, \ r 20  to  1295 

Slate, > Second  sand,  ) 20  to  1315 

Sand-rock, ) ( 25  to  1340 

Slate,  (Note  1,)  55  to  1395 

Granite,  (Note 2,)  . 5 to  1400 

Slate, 31  to  1431 

Third  sand,  (off  color,) 19  to  1450 

Black  slate,  (pocket,)  8|  to  1458| 


“ Note  1.  55'.  This  should  be  the  “ Granite,”  which  is  a dark,  sandy  slate. 
Note  2.  5[.  This  should  be  the  “ Stray  ” sand — it  underlies  the  granite,” 
The  Third  Sand  was  poor  and  quite  shelly,  and  yielded  no  oil. 

N.  B.  The  above  record  is  given  as  received  in  the  driller’s  nomenclature. 
A shell  is  any  hard  stratum,  usually  sandy,  but  generally  quite  fine  grained. 


New  Castle  Well. 


This  is  situated  at  New  Castle  in  Lawrence.  The  surface 
section  showing  the  Conglomerate  measures  is  supplied  from 
a series  of  exposures  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  well. 


Well  mouth  above  ocean  in  feet,  approximately, 

Gravel- Drift,  • • 

Blue  mud  and  quicksand,  . . ) 

Slate,  rock, 


1 


Slate,  

Sand  shale,  ....  j 

Slate  rock, } Cuyahoga  shale 

S.  S.,  gray,  . . . . \ 

Slate,  1 l 

S.  S.,  white,  salt  water  and  oil,  . Bera  Grit, 
Slate,  


-f  800 


15  to 

15  = 

125  to 

140  = 

3 to 

143  == 

61  to 

204  = 

54  to 

258  == 

51  to 

312  = 

44  to 

356  = 

26  to 

382  = 

78  to 

460  = 

35  to 

495  = 

152  G4.  IiEPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

Red  Rock, Bedford  shale,  . . 70  to  565  = 

Slate, 151  to  716  = 

S.  S., 43  to  759  = 

Slate, 70  to  829  = 

Sand  shales, 30  to  859  = 

Slate, 75  to  934  = 

S.  S.,  gray,  31  to  965  = 

Red  rock, 3 to  968  == 

Slate, 19  to  987  = 

Slate, 207  to  1194  = 

Shales,  hard, 21  to  1215  = 

Slate,  hard, 155  to  1370  = 

Sand  shales,  47  to  1417  = 

Slate,  hard, . . 68  to  1485  =s 

S.  S.,  gray, 50  to  1535  = 

Slate, 154  to  1689  = 

S.  S.,  gray, 8 to  1697  = 

Slate, 64  to  1761  = 

S.  S.,  gray, 15  to  1776  = 

Slate,  69  to  1845  = 

S.  S.,  gray, 17  to  1862  = 

Slate, 103  to  1965  — 

S.  S.,  gray, 80  to  2045  = 

? about, 655  to  2700  = 

Drive  pipe,  143 — 7.12'.  Cased  with  casing  at  468'. 

Gas  at  313',  657',  and  717'.  Salt  water  and  oil  show  at 


Chapter  XI. 


The  Queen ’ s Run  Coal  Basin  in  Clinton  County , North  of 
the  Susquehanna  River  * By  FranTctin  Platt . 

The  Allegheny  mountain  is  cut  through  by  the  Susque- 
hanna river  3 miles  above  Lock  Haven  ; and  the  river  hav- 
ing thus  entered  the  First  sub-basin  winds  rather  sinuously 
through  and  across  it  and  cuts  the  first  anticlinal  sub-axis 
at  a point  about  5 miles  beyond.  While  the  river  is  in  this 
first  sub-basin  the  Tangascootac  creek  enters  it  from  the 
South  and  Lick  run  and  Queen’s  run  from  the  North.  Coal 
and  fireclay  have  been  extensively  opened  and  worked  on 
these  latter  runs. 

The  region  was  examined  by  the  First  Survey  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  the  facts  were  thus  stated  in  the  Final  Report,  f 

“The  rocks  along  the  Susquehanna  river  are  the  argilla- 
ceous sandstones  forming  the  thick  bands  at  the  alteration 
of  the  [Catskill  and  Pocono]  series,  dipping  at  a consid- 
erable angle  to  the  northwest.  At  the  mouth  of  Lick  run 
these  give  place  to  [Pocono]  rocks,  having  their  usual  char- 
acter of  a brown  slaty  sandstone,  but  containing  a few  bands 
of  a siliceous  conglomerate,  somewhat  like  the  [Pottsville] 
Conglomerate,  though  darker.  Above  the  Sandstone  lie  the 
Umbral  red  shales  in  two  separate  strata,  alternating  with  a 
gray  sandstone,  referable  either  to  the  [Pocono  or  Pottsville] 
Series.  The  lowest  of  these  red  shales  is  a bed  65  feet  in 
thickness,  containing  two  seams  of  iron  ore  ; one  only  about 
6 inches  thick ; the  other,  20  feet  above  it,  being  about  10 
inches.  The  ore  is  apparently  good,  but  probably  not  suffi- 
ciently abundant  to  be  valuable. 

* This  report  was  written  in  1876  from  data  obtained  when  selecting  samples 
of  fireclays  and  firebrick  for  the  State  tests  made  in  Harrisburg.  See  Report 
MM,  p.  270. 

f Final  Report.  Rogers,  vol.  II,  pp.  527,  528. 

(153  G.4) 


154  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


‘ ‘A  similar  ore  lias  been  discovered  on  Queen’ s run,  1 J miles 
northeast  of  the  Queen’ s Run  Mines,  where  it  promises  a 
greater  quantity.  Between  the  two  seams  of  ore  occur  buff 
colored  and  red  shales.  Overlying  this  red  shale  is  a thick 
stratum  of  gray  sandstone,  analagous  to  the  [Pocono]  gray 
sandstone,  about  250  feet  thick.  This  supports  another  thin- 
ner bed  of  [M.  Chunk]  red  shale.  At  the  mouth  of  Queen’s 
run  the  [Pocono]  Sandstone  contains  a seam  of  fireclay 
4 or  5 feet  thick,  which  is  a little  too  sandy,  but  may  be 
worth  working,  if  mixed  with  a more  argillaceous  variety. 
At  the  mines  on  Lick  run  the  strata  have  been  bored  from 
the  highest  ground  down  to  the  upper  bed  of  the  red  shale. 
At  different  points  where  this  was  done  the  strata  do  not 
precisely  correspond.  One  of  the  most  important  of  the 
beds,  a seam  of  coal,  is  absent  over  a considerable  extent, 
owing  to  a dislocation  in  the  strata,  or  to  other  causes  not 
yet  ascertained. 

“In  one  of  the  knobs  where  the  position  of  the  coal  ap- 
pears to  be  represented  by  slate  and  sandstone,  we  have  the 
following  section  : 


Soil, 

Coal,  not  under  sufficient  cover  to 
be  hard,  (Here  only  1' 6",)  . . . 

Fireclay, 

Brown  slate, 

(Coal  should  here  occur  19  feet  be- 
low the  brown  slate,  6 feet  thick, 
and  containing  1G  inches  of  slate, 
but  it  is  absent.) 

Dark  slate  and  flaggy  sandstones,  . 

Coal, 

Dark  slate, 

Coal, 


Licit  Run.  Far- 
rand8ville. 


“This  is  the  lowest  coal-bed  of  the  basin,  as  it  was  mined 
by  the  Farrandsville  Company  for  the  use  of  their  furnace, 
where  it  underwent  the  coking  process  without  the  aid  of 
ovens.  It  was  then  sent  by  an  inclined  plane  and  railroad 
to  the  furnace  at  the  base  of  the  mountain.  The  second 


coal  seam  in  the  ascending  order  was  not  worked,  the  coal 
being  impure  ; but  the  third,  where  the  ground  is  sufficiently 


queen’s  run  coal  basin. 


G4.  155 


elevated  to  embrace  it,  lias  been  wrought  to  some  extent, 
yielding  a better  coal  than  either  of  the  other  two.  It  is 
now,  however,  nearly  exhausted.  This  upper  coal  seam, 
lying  usually  near  the  surface  of  the  highest  ground,  has 
generally  an  unsound  roof,  which  unfits  it  to  be  mined.  It 
measures  commonly  6 feet  in  thickness.  It  is  removed  to 
expose  the  fireclay  which  lies  immediately  beneath  it,  found 
to  be  of  a superior  equality  for  the  manufacture  of  firebrick. 
This  fireclay,  from  6 to  7 feet  thick,  is  destitute  of  grit,  and 
furnishes  an  admirable  firebrick.  Under  it  lies  a bed  of 
shale,  containing  a layer  of  nodular  iron  ore  of  no  great 
purity  or  richness. 

“Beneath  the  lowest  bed  of  coal  slaty  sandstones  and  shales 
occupy  a thickness  of  46|-  feet,  succeeded  by  25  feet  of  red 
shales,  this  by  upwards  of  200  feet  of  gray  sandstone,  and 
this  again  by  the  lower  bed  of  red  shale.  It  is  very  remark- 
able that  we  nowhere  find  the  rocks  occupying  the  position 
of  the  [Potts.]  Conglomerate,  possessing  the  conglomerate 
character,  while  in  every  other  neighborhood  in  the  same 
basin,  as  at  the  First  fork  of  Pine  creek  and  on  the  Tan- 
gascootac,  this  rock  exists  in  its  true  type  and  features.” 

In  examining  the  fireclay  deposits  on  Lick  run,  above 
Farrandsville,  in  1875,  the  following  facts  were  noted.  The 
lowest  coal  and  underlying  fireclay  bed  are  opened  1 mile 
up  Lick  run.  The  section  intervals  as  leveled  by  barometer 
showed : 


Surface. 

Rg.20. 

Sandstone, 1'  0" 

--  — ■ — s' 

Carbonated  clay  slate, 8'  0" 

Coal  and  partings, 5'  3" 

Fireclay, 4'  6"  to  5'  0" 

Interval  rocks,  50'  0" 

•SO 

z'r, 

Coal,  worthless, 2'  G" 

Interval  rocks, 50'  0" 

Coal  and  Partings, 3'  5" 

Fireclay, 5'  0" 

so 

_JJL 

r.c.  ,5' 

C?1 

Lick  Run. 


The  lowest  coal  bed  is  opened  890  feet  above  the  railroad 
level  at  Farrandsville  and  425  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
Susquehanna  river  at  that  point. 


156  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


This  bed  was  extensively  wrought  some  40  years  ago  to 
supply  coal  to  make  the  coke  used  in  the  old  Farrandsville 
Furnace.  The  furnace  has  been  long  out  of  blast  and  the 
coal  bed  is  now  only  worked  to  supply  the  needed  fuel  for 
the  Farrandsville  Fire  Brick  Works. 

The  coal  as  measured  in  the  mine  showed : 


Slate  roof. 

Coal, 

Slate,  .... 

Coal, 

Slate,  .... 

Coal, 

Fireclay,  hard, 


1'  4"  to  V 6" 

O'  V 
8"  to  10" 

6" 

8 ' 

5'  0'4- 


Fig.21 


Licit  Run , lower 
coal  bed. 


The  coal  appears  to  be  somewhat  sulphurous  but  answers 
well  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  now  used,  as  it  is  a strong 
steam  coal. 

The  fireclay  underlying  the  coal  bed  is  of  unusual  excel- 
lence. As  measured  in  the  mine  where  it  is  now  worked, 
about  one  quarter  of  a mile  south  of  the  coal  mine  described 
above  it  measured : 

Coal,  lower  bed,  in  all, 3'  6'' 

Clay,  hard 3'  0" 

Parting,  impure  clay, 1'  6" 

Clay,  hard, 3,  0" 

Clay,  impure,  micaceous, 2'  to  3'  0" 

Sandstone  floor. 


Lick  Run , lower 
fireclay. 

The  two  hard  layers,  3 feet  thick  each,  giving  6 feet  thick 
of  clay,  in  all,  are  extensively  worked  for  the  Farrandsville 
Fire  Brick  Works. 

A specimen  of  the  hard  clay  was  forwarded  to  the  State 
Survey  Laboratory  in  Harrisburg  and  yielded  on  analysis  : 
(D.  McCreath.)  See  Report  MM,  p.  265,  (106.) 


Fig.2? 


mm 

CLAY 

3 

IMP.  CLAY 

16 

CLAY 

3 

2 IMP. CLAY. 

V ■■ — r 

3 

“7 

~ct 


queen’s  kun  coal  basin. 


G4.  157 


Silica, 42 . 180 

Alumina, 38.960 

Protoxide  of  iron, .760 

Titanic  acid,  • • 3.360 

Lime,  .510 

Magnesia, .180 

Alkalies,  1.000 

Sulphuric  acid, .010 

Water, 13.790 


100.750 


The  analysis  shows  a very  superior  character  of  clay,  no- 
ticeable for  its  low  percentage  of  Iron,  Lime  and  Magnesia, 
and  for  the  high  percentage  of  Titanic  Acid. 

The  middle  coal  bed,  lying  50  feet  above  the  lower  coal 
bed,  has  been  opened  up,  but  is  not  worked.  It  proved  to 
be  small,  irregular  and  poor  in  quality  ; and  in  this  region 
on  Lick  run  may  be  put  down  as  utterly  worthless  for  any 
practical  purpose. 

The  upper  coal  bed,  50  feet  above  the  Middle  Coal,  and 
100  feet  above  the  lower  coal  is  only  caught  on  the  hill  top 
and  covers  therefore  a small  area  and  under  imperfect  cover. 

As  measured  in  the  open  cut  on  the  hill  top  the  coal 
shows : 

TSg.23. 


Surface. 

Sandstone, 1'  to  2'  0" 

Carbonated  clay  slates,  8'  0" 

Coal, y 3" 

Slate, 7" 

Coal, 9" 

Slate,  O'  i"  to  0'  1" 

Coal, 2'  6" 

Slate,  2" 

Fireclay,  soft, 4'  6 ' to  6'  0 ' 


Lick  Run  Upper 
coal  and  fireclay. 


The  coal  was  weathered  from  imperfect  cover,  where  ex- 
amined ; but  is  apparently  of  excellent  quality  when  in 
order. 


158  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


The  fireclay  is  soft,  and  lies  all  in  one  bench  without  part- 
ings. 

A specimen  of  the  clay  analysed  at  the  State  Laboratory 
showed:  (D.  McCreath.)  See  Report  MM,  p.  265,  (105.) 


Silica, 

Alumina,  .... 
Protoxide  of  iron, 
Titanic  acid,  . . 

Lime,  . . . . 

Magnesia,  . . . . 

Alkalies,  . . . . 

Sulphuric  acid,  . 
Water, 


....  63.880 

....  24.140 

....  1.600 
not  determined. 

200 

684 

....  2.952 

158 

....  6.770 


100.384 

The  clay  is  shipped  1%  miles  to  the  Fire  brick  works  of 
Messrs.  Frederick,  Monroe  & Co.  at  Farrandsville.  They 
have  large  works,  having  a capacity  of  9000  bricks  per  diem. 

They  also  ship  raw  clay  to  the  Harrisburg  Firebrick 
Works  to  mix  therewith  the  Blue  Ball  (Clearfield  county) 
Fireclay. 

The  shipments  from  Farrandsville  are  largely  to  iron  works, 
about  one  half  being  large  bricks  for  boshing  and  lining. 

In  view  of  the  difference  in  the  analyses  of  these  clay, 
the  hard  clay  being  rich  in  titanic  acid  and  the  soft  clay 
carrying  none  of  it,  the  uses  of  the  different  clays  and  their 
mixings  are  instructive. 

For  firebrick,  hard  clay  alone  is  used. 

For  boshing  and  lining,  one  half  hard  clay  (lower  bed) 
and  one  half  soft  clay  (upper  bed.) 

For  tiles,  soft  clay  alone  is  used. 

The  mill  uses  water  power  and  has  very  complete  ma- 
chinery for  thorough  grinding  and  mixing  of  the  clays. 

*“At  Queen’s  run,  the  same  beds  of  coal  and  fireclay  oc- 
cur which  we  see  at  Farrandsville,  with  this  difference,  that 
the  uppermost  coal  seam  is  there  under  an  ample  covering, 
and  ranges  over  a tolerably  extensive  surface,  being  the 
only  bed  mined.  Its  thickness  varies  from  5 feet  to  3 feet 
9 inches.  The  coal  is  superior  and  finds  a ready  market 
along  the  Susquehanna. 


Final  Report,  Rogers.  Yol.  II,  p.  528. 


queen’s  run  coal  basin. 


G4.  159 


“The  fireclay  at  this  place  is  occasionly  8 feet  thick.  A 
bed  of  coal  about  feet  thick  occurs  not  far  beneath  it. 
This  does  not  appear  in  the  coal  measures  above  Farrands- 
ville.  The  other  beds  in  the  series  are  supposed  to  occur  here 
though  their  existence  has  not  been  positively  ascertained. 
At  the  mouth  of  Queen’s  run  firebricks  have  been  made  to 
a moderate  extent,  and  at  Farrandsville  on  a more  extensive 
scale.  . . . The  extreme  horizontally  of  the  rocks  observ- 
able in  ascending  the  Susquehanna  from  Queen’s  run  is  un- 
doubtedly due  to  the  dying  down  of  one  of  the  broad  axes 
of  Tomb’s  Run  Valley,  which  crosses  Pine  creek  about  7 
miles  above  its  mouth,  and  passes  under  the  turnpike  west.” 
In  examining  the  fireclay  bed  on  Queen’s  run  some  addi- 
tional facts  were  gathered.  The  lower  fireclay  and  coal 
were  opened  about  2 miles  up  the  run,  and  652  feet  by 
barometer  above  the  level  of  the  Susquehanna  river  at  the 
mouth  of  Queen’s  run.  The  vertical  section  of  the  meas- 
ures corresponds  closely  with  that  already  given  upon  Lick 
run.  It  shows : 


Upper  coal, 4'  0" 

Fireclay  ( upper ), 5'  0" 

Interval  rocks, 50'  0"  to  60'  0" 

Coal,  worthless, 2'  0" 

Interval,.  . . . . 50' 0"  to  60' 0" 

Coal,  1'  6"  to  2'  0" 

Fireclay  (lower), 5'  0"  to  6'  O'' 


The  lower  coal  and  fireclay  where  opened  at  mine  No.  1, 
show : 


Roof,  imperfect,  weathered. 

Coal,  weathered, 

Dark  colored  clay, 

Fireclay  (lower),  hard,  . . . 
Sandstone  floor  reported. 


The  clay  is  all  taken  out,  dark  colored  and  hard,  and 
used  in  the  Firebrick  Works  at  the  moiUh  of  the  run.  The 


mine  runs  in  northwest  and  is  on  a level. 


160  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  C FIANCE. 


A specimen  of  this  hard  lower  fireclay  was  forwarded  to 
Harrisburg  and  yielded  on  analysis  at  the  State  Labora- 
tory: (D.  McCreath.) 


Silica, 42.410 

Alumina, . . 33.685 

Protoxide  of  iron, 2.128 

Titanic  acid, 4.000 

Lime, .200 

Magnesia, .276 

Alkalies,  718 

Sulphuric  acid, .820 

Water, 13.370 


100.637 

At  another  opening  on  this  lower  fireclay  bed,  only  a few 
hundred  yards  away,  the  measures  showed  : 


Coal,  rotten,  . . V 6" 

Fireclay  ( lower ),  soft,  7 0" 


So  different  was  the  appearance  of  the  fireclay  that  it 
would  not  have  been  recognized  as  identical  with  the  hard 
clay  just  described.  Moreover  it  works  differently  in  use. 
A specimen  of  this  soft  clay  yielded  on  analysis:  (D.  Mc- 


Creath.) 

Silica, 63.180 

Alumina, 23.700 

Protoxide  of  iron, 1.200 

Titanic  acid, 1.460 

Lime, .170 

Magnesia, ‘470 

Alkalies, 2.520 

Sulphuric  acid, .190 

Water,  6.870 


99.700 


The  analyses  show  how  totally  the  character  of  the  fire- 
clay.deposit  has  changed  within  a few  hundred  yards. 

The  middle  Coal  Bed  has  been  opened  up  on  Queen’s 
Run,  but  proved,  as  on  Lick  Run,  small,  uncertain  and 
worthless. 

The  upper  coal  bed  and  its  underlying  fireclay  were  very 
extensively  worked  on  Queen’s  Run  many  years  ago.  The 
mines  are  now  all  fallen  shut.  This  is  the  upper  bed  of  the 
Farrandsville  Lick  Run  section  ; and  the  description  and 
analyses  of  the  upper  fireclay  given  on  page  8,  will  answer 
for  this  upper  fireclay  on  Queen’s  Run. 


queen’s  run  coal  basin. 


G4.  161 


The  upper  coal  on  Queen' s Bun  covered  a much  larger 
area  than  on  Lick  Run,  and  has  abundant  cover  over  it. 
It  was  therefore  in  excellent  order,  and  averaged  4 feet  or 
more  of  coal. 

This  coal  was  shipped  to  Prof.  W.  R.  Johnson,  for  his 
experiments  in  testing  coal  for  the  U.  S.  Navy  Department. 
His  report  showed  the  coal  to  be  of  so  high  a grade  as  a 
steam  coal,  that  a few  of  his  figures  are  reproduced  below. 
They  are  of  interest,  as  showing  what  may  be  expected  of 
the  coal  not  yet  worked  out  of  this  bed  on  the  hill  on 
Queen’s  Run. 

“The  exterior  characters  of  this  coal  are,  a color  almost 
uniformly  shining  jet  black,  except,  of  course,  the  faces 
marking  the  planes  of  deposition,  in  which  the  usual  reedy 
matter,  in  the  state  of  mineralized  charcoal,  gives  a dull 
deep  black,  with  numerous  well  marked  but  small  organic 
remains. 

The  main  partings  are  well  defined,  and  incline  to  the 
surfaces  of  deposition  in  angles  of  85°  and  95°.  The  cross 
partings  are  also,  in  many  specimens,  unusually  well  de- 
fined ; smooth  and  brilliant  plane  surfaces,  inclined  to  the 
main  partings  in  angles  of  88.5°  and  91.5°,  and  to  the  sur- 
faces of  deposition  in  70°  and  110°.  The  coal  thus  separates 
into  rhombic  prisms. 

Occasional  specks  of  sulphuret  of  iron  present  themselves 
in  the  natural  partings. 

The  specific  gravity  of  one  specimen  of  the  coal  was  found 
to  be  1.8225,  that  of  another  1.3404;  the  mean  of  which 
gives  the  calculated  weight  of  1 cubic  foot  of  solid  coal 
equal  to  83.22  pounds. 

One  specimen  examined  for  sulphur  gave  0.1019  per  cent, 
of  that  ingredient. 

The  composition  is  as  follows : 


Moisture, 

Other  volatile  matter, 

Earthy  matter, 

Fixed  carbon, 

Specimen  a. 
...  0.559 

. . . 17.791 

. . . . 75.140 

Specimen  b. 
0.679 
17.071 
7.570 
74.680 

100.000 

100.000 

Volatile  to  fixed  combustible,  . . 

1:4.375 

11  G4. 


162  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Besides  the  preceding  analyses,  a comparative  trial  was 
made  on  forty  specimens  ; from  each  of  which  a fragment 
was  taken,  and  a portion  of  the  powder  of  the  whole  sub- 
jected to  the  usual  steps  for  determining  the  constituents. 
This  gave : 


Of  moisture,  . 0 . 131 

Other  volatile  matter, 18.676 

Earthy  matter, 7.750 

Fixed  carbon,  73.443 


100.000 

Volatile  to  fixed  combustible, 1:3.93 


The  ashes  are  almost  perfectly  white. 

When  tried  in  the  chain  shop,  this  coal  was  found  emi- 
nently useful  for  that  kind  of  work. 

In  the  performance  of  ordinary  smith  work,  to  which  it 
was  applied  in  the  anchor  shop,  the  result  was  also  highly 
satisfactory.  It  gave  little  cinder,  a coke  soft  and  yielding, 
and  a form  of  fire  abundantly  hollow  for  all  the  purposes 
there  required.” 

The  above  analyses  and  description  sufficiently  illustrate 
the  unusual  excellence  of  this  upper  coal  bed  where  form- 
erly worked  on  Queen’s  Run. 

In  view  of  the  analyses  of  the  Queerf  s Run  fireclay  g iven 
above,  it  is  interesting  to  know  their  special  uses  and  how 
they  are  mixed. 

Tiles  are  made  from  the  soft  clay  alone. 

Bricks  for  lining  and  boshing  are  made  from  one  half 
hard  clay  and  one  half  soft  clay. 

The  nine  inch  brick  are  made  from  the  hard  clay  alone. 

In  the  testing  made  of  different  fire  bricks  by  the  State 
Survey,  at  the  Shaft  testing  furnace  of  the  Harrisburg  Fire- 
brick Company,  the  report  says : 

‘ 1 Two  Queen’ s Run  Bricks,  one  of  them  made  of  hard  clay, 
the  other  of  half  hard  and  half  soft,  presented  so  bad  an 
appearance  in  the  furnace  in  1 hour  35  minutes,  that  they 
were  taken  out.  The  result  showed  that  the  appearance 
of  the  bricks  in  the  furnace  was  too  deceitful  to  have  any 
reliance  placed  upon  it.  The  brick  of  hard  clay  had  run 
on  bottom  and  lower  edges. 


queen’s  run  coal  basin. 


G4.  163 


The  brick  containing  one  half  soft  clay  lost  one  of  its 
corners  by  cracking,  and  also  showed  cracks  through  its 
mass.  The  lower  edges  had  given  away  badly.” 

In  a second  and  more  severe  test,  made  of  those  bricks 
which  stood  up  longest  in  the  first  trial,  the  report  says : 

“A  Queen’s  Run  and  a Clearfield  brick  both  had  one  end 
melted.” 

Speaking  broadly,  the  tests  showed  great  standing  up 
power  for  the  Queen’s  Run  bricks. 

The  Firebrick  Works,  at  the  mouth  of  Queen’s  Run, 
were  widely  known  in  past  years  for  the  excellence  of  the 
material  furnished  by  them. 

They  are  not  now  working.  It  needs  only  improved,  ma- 
chinery for  crushing,  grinding,  and  mixing  the  clays,  to 
render  the  name  of  the  Queen’s  Run  brick  as  well  known 
as  in  the  past. 

The  Farrandsville  bricks,  which  are  well  made,  will  serve 
as  a sample  of  what  the  clay  will  do  when  properly  and 
efficiently  worked  up. 

There  is  an  enormous  outspread  through  this  region  (in- 
cluding the  Lick  Run  region,  of  this  fireclay  deposit ; a de- 
posit so  great  that  it  may  be  worked  upon  for  many  years 
without  appreciately  affecting  the  geological  estimate  of 
quantity. 

The  question  as  to  the  geology  of  the  region  is  not  settled. 
The  upper  coal  and  upper  fireclay  are  only  found  on  Queen’s 
Run  between  Jervy  and  Ram  Runs  ; that  is  on  the  Eastern 
side  of  the  basin,  or  rather  Southern  side,  for  the  mountains 
here  run  more  nearly  East  and  West. 

Now  this  dip  is  observed  at  the  Old  Mines,  a general  dip 
to  the  North  15°  West,  would  bring  this  upper  coal  and 
clay  into  the  hills  to  the  North  and  Northeast.  It  cannot 
be  found  there  by  any  researches  made  as  yet.  Either  a 
subordinate  anticlinal  roll  comes  in  to  prevent  the  measure 
from  crossing  the  ravine  on  the  observed  dip,  or  there  is  a 
fault.  The  former  is  much  more  likely.  The  question  is 
a practical  one  involving  considerable  interests. 

Near  Whetliam  Station  on  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie 


164  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

Railroad,  5 ? miles  above  Farrandsville,  the  upper  bed  of 
the  Lick  Run  and  Queen’s  Run  section  has  been  caught  on 
the  mountain  top,  1045  feet  by  barometer  above  the  level 
of  the  Railroad  Station. 

The  bed  covers  only  a small  area  the  only  mine  is  now 
fallen  shut ; and  the  general  dip  is  to  the  North,  putting 
the  coal  in  a different  basin  from  the  Farrandsville  and 
Queen’ s Run  openings  on  the  same  coal.  It  has  been  reported 
as  having  shown  a 6 foot  coal  bed. 

There  has  been  no  effort  to  develop  as  yet  at  this  point 
the  fireclay  deposit,  which  lies  100  feet  below  this  upper 
coal  on  Lick  Run  and  Queen’s  Run. 


Chapter  XII. 


The  Tangascootac  Coal  Basin  in  Centre  and  Clinton 

Counties , South  of  the  Susquehanna . By  Franklin 

Platt. 

In  the  Report  of  Progress  in  the  Clearfield  and  Jefferson 
District  for  1874  (Volume  H of  Reports  of  the  Second 
Geological  Survey  of  Pennsylvania)  while  describing  the 
Snow  Shoe  Coal  Basin  and  its  development  (pp.  67-79)  it 
was  stated  in  the  text  and  shown  on  the  map  (Plate  VI)  that 
the  first  sub-basin  points  off  to  the  Northeast  of  Snow 
Shoe,  the  Lower  Productive  Coal  Measures,  with  Coal  Beds 
A,  B,  and  over  perhaps  limited  areas  Bed  D,  occupying  de- 
tached hill  tops. 

The  first  sub-basin  is  bounded  on  the  East  by  the  even 
and  regular  crests  of  the  Allegheny  Mountain,  which  is  here 
capped  by  the  massive  Conglomerate  of  XII ; but  the  rocks 
are  lying  so  nearly  horrizontal  northwest  of  the  crest, 
that  the  moderate  falling  off  in  height  about  compensates 
for  the  slight  sinking  of  the  measures  to  the  northwest, 
and  the  lowest  coal  beds  are  not  found  in  the  hills  until 
some  miles  west  of  the  main  crest  of  the  Allegheny  mount- 
ain. At  Snow  Shoe  this  distance  is  about  3 or  4 miles ; 
and  this  distance  is  continued  on  to  the  northeastward. 

The  western  boundary  of  the  First  Sub-basin  is  the  an- 
ticlinal Sub-axis  which  divides  this  First  Basin.  This  Sub- 
axis  has  already  been  described  as  it  runs  through  Clear- 
field county  and  coming  Northeastward  passes  between 
Snow  Shoe  and  Karthaus,  at  or  near  Pine  Glen.  North- 
eastward of  Pine  Glen  it  seems  to  keep  a straight  line  par- 
allel with  the  line  of  the  Allegheny  Mountain.  It  is  a high, 
broad  backed  anticlinal,  carrying  the  Conglomerate  of  XII 
high  up  into  the  hill  tops,  making  it  the  surface  rock,  and 
confining  the  Lower  Productive  Coal  Measures  to  a narrow 

( 165  G.4. ) 


166  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


and  restricted  area  in  the  center  of  the  synclinal  basin  in- 
cluded between  it  and  the  Allegheny  Mountain.  In  this 
narrow  line  the  coal  basin  runs  on  northeast  from  Snow 
Shoe  across  Beech  creek,  between  the  forks  of  the  Tangas- 
cootac  creek,  and  on  Queen’ s Run  and  Lick  Run  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Susquehanna  river. 

Between  Snow  Shoe  and  the  Tangascootac  mines  the 
country  is  an  absolute  wilderness,  far  removed  at  present 
from  any  market,  and  of  course  entirely  unopened  to  de- 
velop either  coal  or  iron  ore. 

At  the  time  of  the  examination  for  the  First  Geological 
Survey  there  was  one  opening  made  on  a coal  bed  on  Beech 
creek.  The  coal  was  four  feet  four  inches  thick,  with  a 
thin  seam  of  slate ; of  good  character  and  marking  itself 
by  a well  defined  bench  or  terrace  near  the  summits  of  the 
hills.  This  bed  was  found  60  to  70  feet  above  the  top  of 
the  siliceous  Conglomerate. 


Tangascootac  Basin. 


In  the  Tangascootac  region  however  the  coal  beds  were 
opened  and  mined  for  shipment  many  years  ago,  and  the 
vertical  section  of  the  measures  at  that  point  as  compared 


Surface, 

Sandstone  and  shales,  . 

Coal  (upper), 

Interval,  (Shale?)  . . 
Coal  (middle),  . . . 
Interval,  (Sandstone?) 

Coal  (lower), 

Interval,  (Sandstone?) 

Iron  ore,  lean, 

Conglomerate  of  XII. 


Hg.26. 


TANGASCOOTAC  BASIN. 


G4  167 


with  the  Snow  Shoe  vertical  section  (H  p.  69)  miles  away 
shows  so  little  variation  in  the  measures  and  such  regularity 
in  the  size  of  the  coal  as  to  give  a fair  idea  of  what  may  be 
expected  in  the  region  between  these  points  whenever  the 
hill  tops  take  in  the  Lower  Productive  Coal  Measures. 

At  the  old  openings  on  the  north  side  of  the  South  Fork 
of  Tangascootac  creek,  at  the  Pock  Cabin  mines,  the  fol- 
lowing vertical  sedtion  shows  (Fig.  26). 

The  upper  bed  of  coal  is  the  one  which  has  been  most  ex- 
tensively mined,  and  from  it  nearly  all  the  Tangascootac 
coal  which  has  reached  market  has  been  shipped.  The 
coal  showed  (Fig.  27) : 

Roof,  black  slate, 2'  or  more. 

Coal,  23'’ 

Black  slate  parting,  4" 

Coal, 2'  3" 

Fireclay  floor. 

The  coal  contains  much  iron  pyrites,  both  scattered 
through  the  mass  of  coal  and  as  “sulphur  balls”  in  the 
coal  and  parting  slate.  It  was  largely  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  coal  from  this  basin  was  shipped  out  without  any 
care  being  exercised  to  remove  these  “sulphur  balls,”  that 
the  market  for  the  coal  fell  off. 

A specimen  of  coal  from  this  upper  bed,  mined  not  less 
than  22  years  ago,  and  exposed  during  all  that  time  at  the 
old  dump,  was  forwarded  to  Mr.  McCreath,  at  Harrisburg, 
and  yielded  on  analysis  : 


Water  at  225°, 730 

Volatile  matter, 18.190 

Fixed  carbon, 57.719 

Sulphur, 981 

Ash 22.380 


100.000 

It  must  be  remembered  that  this  specimen  of  coal  had 
been  exposed  to  the  weather  for  22  years.  The  analysis  is 
not  given  to  show  the  exact  character  of  coal  found  on  min- 
ing the  bed,  but  as  showing  chiefly  the  effect  of  such  weath- 
ering. The  reduction  in  percentages  of  sulphur  and  vola- 
tile matters,  raised  the  percentage  of  ash  and  fixed  carbon. 


168  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

It  shows  moreover  that  the  effect  of  weathering  is  less 
than  is  usually  attributed  to  it. 

The  same  remarks  apply  to  the  analysis  of  a weathered 
specimen  of  the  lower  coal  bed  given  below. 

The  middle  coal  bed  was  opened  up  at  the  Rock  Cabin 
mines,  and  proved  a total  failure.  This  is  the  “rolling 
bed,”  so  named  from  its  frequent  and  sudden  variations  in 
size.  The  floor  is  very  uneasy,  and  at  the  Rock  Cabin 
opening  the  coal  varied  from  4 feet  down  to  4 inches  in 
thickness. 

The  same  coal  has  been  opened  and  worked  many  years  ago 
at  the  Irvin  and  Spering  mines,  about  one  and  a half  miles 
below  the  Rock  Cabin  mines,  and  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Tangascootac  creek.  It  yielded  a good  coal,  but  the  floor 
was  too  irregular  and  the  variations  in  size  too  great. 

The  area  covered  by  it  south  of  the  South  Fork  was  also 
quite  limited. 

It  is  stated  that  the  fireclay  floor  of  the  bed  at  Spering’ s 
and  Irvin’s  was  of  excellent  quality.  The  mines  are  now 
fallen  shut,  and  cannot  be  examined. 

The  lower  coal  was  opened  and  worked  for  shipment  at 
the  Rock  Cabin  mines.  It  proved  to  be  a small  but  regular 
bed,  ranging  from  24  to  30  inches  in  thickness.  It  coked 
successfully,  but  was  abandoned  as  too  small  to  work,. 

A specimen  of  this  coal  mined  not  less  than  eight  years 
ago,  and  exposed  during  that  time  at  the  old  dump,  was 
forwarded  to  Mr.  McCreath,  at  Harrisburg,  and  yielded  on 


analysis  : 

Water  at  225°, 550 

Volatile  matter,  20.845 

Fixed  carbon, 67.801 

Sulphur, 659 

Ash, 10.145 


, 100.000 

These  coal  beds  have  been  opened  up  in  the  past  on  trial 
pits  or  for  mining  on  a small  scale  at  several  places  to  the 
west  of  rock  cabin,  but  nearly  all  these  test  pits  are  now 
(dosed. 


TANGASCOOTAC  BASIN. 


G4.  169 


The  upper  bed  was  opened  about  ^ mile  west  of  Rock 
Cabin,  and  showed  6 feet  of  coal,  but  carrying  so  much 
slate  interleaved  as  to  spoil  the  bed  at  that  place.  It  had 
4 feet  of  hard  black  slate  overlying,  and  then  sandstone 
over  that : and  a hard  fireclay  floor,  with  micaceous  sand- 
stone underneath. 

The  lower  is  opened  and  has  been  worked  about  1 mile 
west  of  Rock  Cabin,  near  Reaville’s  Settlement.  It  was 
about  thirty  inches  in  thickness.  This  opening  is  on  the 
south  side  of  the  South  Fork,  and  the  area  covered ‘ there 
is  small. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  South  Fork,  about  1 mile  west 
of  Rock  Cabin,  the  “ Peacock  Mine”  shows  an  average  of 
3 feet  of  coal. 

The  iron  ore  lying  below  the  lower  coal  bed  has  been 
opened  up  in  a test  pit  but  never  mined  for  shipment.  The 
thickness  of  the  bed  cannot  now  be  measured : the  ore  as 
showing  in  specimens  lying  around  the  trial  opening  ap- 
pears to  be  too  lean  to  work. 

A small  furnace  at  Reaville’s  settlement  was  in  blast  for 
short  time  and  made  perhaps  in  all  1000  tons  of  iron. 

The  same  iron  ore  shows  its  outcrop  south  of  Reaville’s 
settlement,  but  is  not  opened  up. 

The  Tangascootac  railroad  ran  from  Reaville’s  and  the 
Rock  Cabin  mines  to  the  Susquehanna  river,  delivering  the 
coal  there  on  to  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  railroad  or  on 
to  the  canal.  The  rails  are  now  taken  up  from  part  of  the 
railroad,  and  the  whole  operation  has  been  abandoned  since 
about  1866. 

These  facts,  scanty  in  number  and  usually  partially  im- 
perfect in  character,  represent  what  can  now  be  observed 
in  this  abandoned  Tangascootac  basin.  At  the  time  of  the 
First  Geological  Survey  of  Pennsylvania  some  of  the  mines 
were  in  operation.  The  brief  description  of  it  by  Assistant 
Geologist  James  T.  Hodge,  substantially  given  in  the  First 
Report  is  reproduced  below.* 

“ Passing  to  the  west  side  of  the  Susquehanna,  the  Coal 


* Final  Report,  Rogers,  Vol.  II,  page  529. 


170  G4.  REPOET  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

Measures  next  appear  on  the  Alleghany  mountain,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Tangascootac  creek.  This  stream  runs 
nearly  centrally  along  the  basin  for  five  miles,  with  a mar- 
gin of  comparatively  broad  and  regular  bottom  lands  on 
each  side.  Owing  to  the  greater  amount  of  denudation  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  valley,  the  Coal  Measures  do  not  there 
occur  ; but  higher  up  they  expand  over  a considerable  ex- 
tent of  country  and  acquire  a thickness  of  several  hundred 
feet.  The  forest  growth  near  the  South  Fork  is  open,  con- 
sisting of  fine  hard  wood  and  scattering  wdiite  pines,  and 
the  surface  changes  from  the  steep  mountain  acclivities 
seen  nearer  the  river  to  gently  rolling  hills  and  extensive 
plains.  The  rocks  along  the  valley  of  the  Susquehanna 
for  about  six  miles  belong  exclusively  to  the  [Pocono] 
Series.  At  the  mouth  of  the  creek  this  formation  rises 
nearly  to  the  top  of  the  Allegheny  mountain,  and  caps  the 
hill  on  the  north  side  of  the  stream.  The  first  appearance 
of  conglomerate  is  where  it  covers  the  east  extremity  of  the 
Allegheny  mountain.  Tracing  it  west  it  gradually  comes 
in  at  a greater  distance  below  the  summit,  until,  three  miles 
from  the  river,  the  Coal  Measures  occupy  the  mountain 
top,  and  the  white  pebbly  sandstone  of  the  [Pottsville] 
Conglomerate  lies  under  the  summit  and  crops  out  high  on 
the  south  side. 

The  hills  on  the  north  side  of  the  Tangastootac  do  not 
reach  the  elevation  of  the  Allegheny  Mountain  until  we  ad- 
vance north  several  miles,  when  a change  of  the  dip  to  the 
south  brings  up  the  lower  rocks,  but  with  an  extremely 
gentle  dip.  Along  the  north  side  of  the  creek  the  knobs 
are  capped  by  the  Conglomerate  as  far  up  the  valley  as 
the  forks.  A little  below  this  the  Coal  Measures  first  ap- 
pear on  the  north  side  of  the  stream,  and  finally,  farther 
towards  the  west,  they  occupy  all  the  high  ground  between 
the  heads  of  the  two  forks,  but  no  coal  occurs  to  the  north 
of  the  North  Fork,  the  hills  there  being  capped  by  the  Con- 
glomerate. 

The  most  eastern  coal  beds  opened  are  south  of  the  First 
Fork,  at  an  elevation  of  about  530  feet  above  the  stream, 
which,  in  the  course  of  two  and  a half  miles  to  the  mouth, 


TANGASCOOTAC  BASIN. 


G4.  171 


descends  30  feet.  The  upper  bed  lies  beneath  a thick  stratum 
of  brown  sandstone.  It  appears  to  be  4 feet  thick,  but  at 
some  distance  in  from  the  outcrop  a fault  causes  it  locally 
to  be  only  2 feet.  The  quality  of  this  coal  is  excellent ; it 
it  is  underlaid  by  a bed  of  good  lireclay.  There  occur 
about  35  feet  of  other  strata  covering  this  bed  over  an  area 
of  perhaps  50  acres. 

Another  coal  seam,  somewhat  slaty,  3 feet  in  thickness, 
lies  about  30  feet  lower  down,  at  no  great  distance  under 
which  is  the  Conglomerate,  forming  a stratum  nearly  100 
feet  in  depth.  This  rock  is  here  a tine  sandstone,  contain- 
ing fine  pebbles,  and  disintegrates  into  a fine  sand,  well 
adapted  for  making  glass. 

The  next  openings  are  on  the  south  side  of  the  creek,  two 
miles  above  the  forks.  The  upper  bed  occurs  near  the  top 
of  the  hill ; it  is  4 feet  thick,  including  some  small  seams 
of  slate  and  fireclay.  The  coal  is  good  ; it  breaks  into  rec- 
tangular pieces,  and  contains  much  mineral  charcoal,  occa- 
sionally in  seams  nearly  half  an  inch  in  thickness,  showing 
the  fibrous  structure  of  the  coal  vegetation.  It  is  beauti- 
fully marked  by  thin  alternating  lamina  of  dull  splint  and 
splendent  glance  coal.  A bed,  supposed  to  be  the  same,  has 
been  opened  at  a lower  level  in  a northwest  direction,  that 
being  the  course  of  the  dip.  At  this  latter  place  its  total 
thickness  is  4 or  5 feet,  including  one  foot  of  dividing  fire- 
clay. 

Section  on  Tangascootac  Creek  (J.  T.  Hodge). 


Surface. 


Fig.  28. 


Between  20  and  30  feet  under  this  occurs  another  coal 
seam,  not  well  exposed,  but  apparently  two  feet  thick ; 
upon  it  rests  two  feet  of  fireclay,  and  over  that  1 foot  of 
black  slate,  surmounted  by  more  than  10  feet  of  blue  slate. 


172  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

The  rocks  underneath  the  coal  are  entirely  concealed,  but 
the  Conglomerate  cannot  be  far  below. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  Allegheny  Mountain  there  are 
two  small  benches  near  the  summit,  at  some  height  above 
the  steep  slope,  caused  by  the  Conglomerate.  The  lower 
of  these  contains  the  “ brown  rock,”  while  the  upper  one 
probably  embraces  a bed  of  coal. 

The  hills  north  of  the  North  Fork  constitute  the  north 
margin  of  this  coal  basin.  They  are  higher  than  the  hills 
around,  being  capped  by  the  Conglomerate.  Between  the 
North  and  South  forks  coal  measures  extend  through  the 
hills  for  some  distance.  Indications  of  iron  ore  present 
themselves  in  the  [M.  Chunk]  Red  Shales,  in  a ravine  2 miles 
above  the  forks.  Between  5 and  6 miles  from  the  mouth, 
the  Coal  Measures  are  within  75  feet  of  the  beds  of  the 
streams,  the  hills  rising  about  250  feet  higher.  Further 
west  the  surface  becomes  smoother  and  the  extent  of  coun- 
try embracing  the  Coal  Measures  much  greater.  The  dis- 
tance across  the  basin,  from  the  Allegheny  Mountain  to  the 
hills  north  of  the  North  Fork,  is  apparently  about  5 miles, 
but  the  actual  area  of  the  coal  is  more  circumscribed,  owing 
to  the  numerous  valleys  of  denudation.  In  the  district  de- 
scribed, the  indications  of  iron  ore  among  the  Coal  Measures 
are  unpromising.” 

From  the  facts  as  stated  above  the  general  features  of  the 
basin  may  be  briefly  stated. 

The  Tangascootac  Coal  Basin  lies  principally  between  the 
forks  of  the  Tangascootac  creek,  extending  from  there 
westward  to  the  valley  of  Beech  creek. 

The  upper  bed  occupies  only  a small  part  of  this  area. 
It  shoots  out  to  daylight  only  a short  distance  east  of  the 
Rock  Cabin  mines ; but  is  found  in  the  hill  top  between 
the  North  and  South  branches  of  the  creek  for  perhaps  1 
mile  west  of  the  Rock  Cabin  Mines.  It  was  shipped  form- 
erly both  for  gas  and  steam  coal  purposes. 

The  middle  bed  covers  a much  larger  area.  It  is  found 
at  Irvin’ s and  Spering’ s mines  on  the  south  side  of  Tangas- 
cootac creek  ; but  the  area  covered  there  is  small.  It  oc- 
cupies however  the  region  between  the  forks  of  Tangascootac 


TANGASCOOTAC  BASIN. 


G4.  173 


creek  from  a point  about  i mile  east  of  Rock  Cabin  mines 
where  it  finally  shoots  out  to  day  on  the  east,  to  a point 
about  1^  miles  or  more  west  of  Rock  Cabin  mines. 

The  lower  bed  covers  an  area  much  larger  than  this.  It 
is  found  on  the  south  side  of  the  South  Fork  of  Tangas- 
cootac  creek  and  covers  an  area  which  though  more  exten- 
sive than  the  middle  bed,  is  however  comparatively  small. 
It  has  been  worked  on  the  Southeast  at  Reaville’ s settlement. 

It  occupies  the  region  between  the  forks  of  the  Tangas- 
cootac  creek,  (about  two  miles  above  its  mouth,)  westward 
to  the  waters  of  Beech  creek,  a distance  of  5 miles. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  coal  beds  contained  slate  partings 
and  much  sulphur  in  the  shape  of  “ sulphur  balls,”  but 
these  impurities  could  be  removed,  in  considerable  part, 
by  careful  mining,  and  a reasonably  clean  coal  furbished 
to  market.  The  coal  itself,  when  free  free  from  the  slate 
and  pyrites  of  the  binders,  is  clearly  a good  strong  steam 
coal.  But  it  must  be  noted  that  in  these  lower  coals  of  the 
Lower  Productive  Coal  Series  the  character  of  the  coal 
yielded  by  any  coal  bed  will  change  very  greatly  and  very 
quickly  ; not  more  quickly  or  greatly  than  the  manner  in 
which  the  size  of  bed  will  vary,  but  very  much  the  same. 
So  that  both  the  size  of  the  bed,  running  in  one  bed  here  in 
this  Tangascootac  basin  from  4 feet  down  to  4 inches  in 
thickness,  but  also  the  character  of  the  coal  must  be  closely 
watched.  As  a general  rule  coal  bed  A of  the  series  car- 
ries, in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  bituminous  coal  basin,  more 
sulphur  than  the  beds  above  it,  this  sulphur  usually  as  iron 
pyrites  in  the  binders,  being  so  regularly  present  in  large 
percentages  as  to  make  a marked  and  recognizable  feature 
of  the  coal  bed. 

In  the  basin  lying  just  north  of  the  Susquehanna  River  in 
this  First  Bituminous  Coal  Basin,  these  same  coals  which 
were  opened  up  and  once  worked  at  the  Tangascootac  mines 
were  opened  and  worked  on  Queen’s  Run  and  Lick  Run  ; 
the  same  coals  in  the  same  sub-basin,  and  only  a few  miles 
away  to  the  northeast.  Yet  the  Queen’s  Run  coal  was  sin- 
gularly free  from  impurities  of  all  kinds. 

It  is  a singular  fact  that  while  the  fireclays  of  Queen’s 


174  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 

Run  and  Lick  Run,  only  5 miles  northeast  of  these  Taiigas- 
cootac  mines,  have  been  extensively  opened  and  worked 
and  enjoy  a wide  reputation  for  excellence  of  character,  the 
same  fireclay  beds,  underlying  the  same  beds  of  coal,  have 
never  been  worked  on  the  Tangascootac.  Their  existence 
is  known,  but  they  have  never  been  developed.  Of  the 
fireclay  on  the  Tangascootac,  therefore,  nothing  definite  can 
be  affirmed. 


INDEX  TO  G* 


Page. 

Abram  Best  bank, 50 

Adirondack  mountains,  107 

Allegheny  mountains,  . . .2,8,9,17,22,25,27,28,61,79,81,82,88,92,99,102,113 

“ escarpment, 3,8,20,25,27,47,48,51,80,83,84,92,95,101 

“ foothills,  3,22,44,48,54 

“ plateau, 2,  3,  10 

“ river,  75,  94 

Allison  Township, 44,35,  47 

Altoona, 82,83,84,95,96,97,101 

“ section;  in  detail, 84;  121 

American  Philosophical  Society  Proceedings, 12 

Ante’s  Gap, . 39 

Ashburner,  C.  A., 19,62,73,80,82,84,91,94,98,100,113,131,143 

Atlantic  coast, 110 

Backer’s  run, 8 

Backer’s  mill-run, 59 

Bald  Eagle  creek, 9,10,23,47  , 48 

“ mountain, 2,3,11,23,25,27,35,40,42,43,44,47,  51 

“ valley, 3,9,22,27,46,48,51,54 

“ township, 47,35,  51 

“Barrens,” 3,4,40,  41 

Beaver  river;  group, 80,  91 

Beech  creek ; valley, 23,28,48,49,51,166;  3 

“ township;  coalfield, 51,35,61;  35 

Beechwood, 141 

Bellefonte;  road, 40;  48 

Big  creek, 54 

B:g  Fishing  creek, 2,  37 

“Big”  (or  Nittany)  mountain;  synclinal, 36,37  ; 25 

Big  run, 8,  51 

Billin,  C.  E.,  62,  73 

Bixler’s  tavern, 39 

Blair  County, 84 

Blossburg;  basin;  mountain, 108;  30,31,32,73;  30 

Blue  Ball, 158 

Bond  farm, 140 

Bradford, 100,101,103,113 

“ county, 29,31,108 

“ oil  field, 9 

“ oil  belt, 109 

Broad  Top ; section, 83,84,93,101;  84 

( 175  G.4. ) 


176  G4. 


REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Page. 

Brush  mountain, 36,  37 

“ valley, 37 

Butler  county, 92,100,101 

“ oil  belt, 87 

“ road  (old), ,65 

Cambria  County, 30,  31 

Cameron, 5,87,90,94,96,98,99,101,102,105,108,118,138 

“ county, 1,22,67,68,75,76,36,92,99,112 

“ section  in  detail,  137 

Canada, 112 

Carl  1,  Mr.  J.  F., 80,87,88,91,94,105,106,107,113 

Catawissa, 83,108 

Catskill  Basin, 107,109 

“ mountain, 107 

“ plateau, 107 

Centre  County ; line, 1,2,12,27,31,33,35,40,41,48,68  ; 25,27,  41 

Chapman  township, 60,1,2,10,35,62,  68 

Chatham, 56 

Chatham’s  run, 57 

Cherry  run ; valley ; synclinal, 23,40;  2,27,40;  36 

Cherry  valley, 36 

Chestnut  ridge  gap,  92 

Cincinnati  anticlinal, 97 

Clarion;  county, 100;  76,86,87,88,90,98,109 

Clarion  river  test  wells, 86 

Clarion-Venango  oil  district, 79 

Clearfield  County ; Report  of  Progress, 1,29,30,31,33,68;  27 

Clinton,  92 

Clinton  County  map, 28 

Clintondale, 12,  41 

Colebrook  township,  . 57,  35 

Columbia  County  (Montour’s  ridge), 58 

Cook’s  run, 5,8,11,63,  68 

Cooksburg  well, 86 

Corry, 5 

Coudersport  pike, 57,  60 

Coudersport  and  Jersey  Shore  turnpike, 9,  19 

Crawford  county, 92 

Crawford  township,  38,  35 

Crooked  creek  synclinal, 32 

Cumberland  basin, 92 

Dauphin  county, 83 

David,  James, 67,131 

De  Franceville, 59 

Delaware  river, 107 

Dickenson  well  record  in  detail, 142 

Driftwood,  5,30,59,136 

“ anticlinal;  axis, 67;  27,30,  32 

Drury, 73 

Drury  run;  openings, 8,19,73,75,76;  74 

Dunstable  township, 54,35,  56 


INDEX. 


G4.  177 


Page. 

Eagleton, 17,28,29,  49 

“ anticlinal;  axis, 49,58,59;  27,  32 

“ banks,  51 

“ coal  field, 52,  59 

“ mines,  19,  49 

“ R.R., 48,  49 

Eagleton  and  Furney’s  run  anticlinal, 28 

Eakin.  See  Taylor  and  Eakin, 140 

East  township,  35 

East  Keating  township, 67,  1 

Edenburg, 88,  96 

Eldred, 9 

Elk  county, 75,76,82,86,90,92,  97 

“ coal  basin, 96 

Emporium, 5,59,86,87,94,96,98,101,102,105,113,138 

“ section  discussed, 138,139,140 

Epler’s  tavern, 39 

Erie  depot,  5 

Ernst.  See  Hughston,  Ernst  & Co’s  well, 141 

Farmington, 46 

Farrands  vil  ie 4,11,17,28,48,49,55,58,92,93,98,155,159 

“ brickworks;  furnace, 156,56;  154,156,  58 

“ coal;  mines;  trough, 19;  58;  57 

“ switch-back  section ; in  detail, 49,129 

First  Survey, 17,25,31,35,37,39,68,72,73,  82 

“ Geologists  of  the — 80 

Fish-beds, 103 

Fishing  creek, 9,24,47,  48 

Forest  county, 90,109 

Foster’s, 100 

Franklin, 100 

Frederick,  Munroe  & Co., 158 

Freedley  (“old  Deborah ”)  furnace, 12,  37 

Frenchville, 30 

Furney ; station, 4 ; 28 

Furney’s  run, 28,49,59,85,93,99,113,130 

Furney’s  run  (or  Eagleton)  anticlinal, 28,58,  59 

Furst  (John  S.)  farm, 69 

Gallaulier  township, 56, 29,35,59 

Gentli,  Dr.,  13 

Geology  of  Ohio,  Vol . Ill,  81 

Geology  of  Pennsylvania,  Vol.  I, 83 

Glen  Union 4,93,96,130 

Great  bend  section  in  detail, 147 

Greene  township, 35,36,38,  40 

Grove, 5 

“ run, 19 

“ township, 1,  67 

Grugan  township, 59,  35 

Harrisburg  Fire  Brick  Co., 158,162 

12  G4. 


178  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Page. 

Harvey’s  Gap, 44 

Hazard,  E.  E., 74 

Hazzard,  Mr.,  63 

Henry’s  Gap, 43 

Hodge  (J.  T.), 31,73,169 

“Hog  back”  ridge, 57 

Hudson  river, 107 

Hughston,  Ernest  & Co’s  well, 141 

Hunt  & Towler’s  well  record,  146 

Huntingdon  county, . 12 

Hyner,  4,9,22,85,86,88,90,93,96,98,99,101,102,103,105,112,113 

“ anticlinal;  axis, 29,59,61,85,102,103  ; 9,27,28,30,31,32,59  , 60 

“ station,  29,  59 

“ well;  record, 67;  85 

“ section ; in  detail, 117 ; 131 

“ run, 8,60,61,85 

Indiana  county, 92 

Irvin  & Spering  mines, 168,172 

Jersey  Shore, 4,  12 

Jersey  Shore  and  Coudersport  turnpike, 9,  19 

Jervyrun, 163 

John  Smith  well.  See  Smith, 150 

Johnson,  (W.  R.), 161 

Johnson’s  run, 59 

Johnsonburg  ; coal  basin,  96 

Johnstown, 32 

Juniata  county, 23 

Kane;  well-record, 5,92,98,101;  86 

Karthaus, 9,30,61,165 

“ basin,  sub-basin, 59,67,68,73;  29 

“ middle  seam, 71 

“ Coal  and  Lumber  Co., 77 

“ Coal  Co.’s  tract, 62 

Karthaus-Renovo  Basin, 30,32,60 

Keating, 5,30,66,67,70,71,85,86,92,93,96,98,117 

“ station;  township, 30,69,70;  1,35,67,  68 

“ section  in  detail, 134 

Kettle  creek ; well,  8,11,19,63,66,86,108,102 

Kinzua;  section;  in  detail, 94,101;  119;  147 

Kleckner’s ; gap, ....  37 ; 38 

Lake  Erie, 112 

“ water-level, 5 

Lake  Ontario, 107 

Lamar  (old)  furnace,  41 

Lamar  township, 40,35,  36 

Laporte  basin, 31,  32 

Laurel  Hill  axis ; anticlinal, 30 ; 32 

Laurel  ridge  gap, 92 

Lawrence  county, 92,151 

Lehigh  river;  gap, 82,107 

Leidy  township, 66,11,35,61,68 


INDEX, 


G4.  179 


Page. 

Lesley,  (Joseph), 73 

Lesley,  (J.  P.);  Nittany  valley  report,  . . . * 12,32,84;  108,62;  42 

Lick  run  ; sections,  57,153,160,166,173  ; 154 

Little  Cook’s  run, 19,  63 

Little  Plum  creek, 54 

Little  Schuylkill  river, 107 

Lock,  Haven,  . 3,4,22,23,27,42,43  to  46,48,55,83,84,88,90,97,98,99,105,112,153 

“ long  section,  17,22,47,54,85,95,105 

“ “ “ in  detail, 124 

Lock  port,  54 

Logan  township, 36,35,40 

Logansville, 41 

Levi’s  gap, 39,43 

Luzerne  county, 83 

Lycoming  county : line, 1,9,25,28,29,35,38,52,57,83;  61 

„ report,  . . . 27,  39 

Lyon,  Shorb  & Co.,  lands, 12 

Mann,  Nicholas,  49 

Mansfield  fish-bed, • • 108 

Marienville  Section  in  detail, 146 

Marion  Section,  119 

Maryland  State  line, 102 

Mauch  Chunk, 83,107,108 

McCreath  (A.  S.), 41,64,74,160,167,168 

McElhatten’s  (or  Mill  run)  Gap, . . 43 

McKean  County, 75,76,80,81,86,88,90,92,94,97,99,100,112,113 

Mercer  County,  90,92,98,101 

Merriman  & Munson, 63 

Middle  States, 13 

Milesburg,  Centre  County, 48 

Mill  creek, 43 

Mill  Hall;  gap, 45,46,48;  3,9,12,23,27,40,41,  43 

“ Furnace  Co. ; furnace, 12;  47 

Milton, 4,100 

Monroe.  See  Frederick, 158 

Montour’s  ridge,  in  Columbia  County, 58 

Morton,  L.  R., 77 

Muncy  mountain, 2 

Munson  & Merriman, 63 

Musquito  valley, 25,38,  43 

Nescopec  mountain,  108 

Newberry,  Dr.  J.  S., 81,  87 

New  Castle;  section;  in  detail, 100;  119;  151 

“New  Garden”  bank, 71 

New  York  State, 3,5,23,79,97,103,107,108 

“ Coal  Co.’s  bank,  Reavilleton, 49 

Nichols  well, 86 

Nippenose  gap,  valley,  2,9,12,25,27,37,38,42,  43 

“ old  furnace, 12 

Nittany  valley, 2,9,12,17,20,22  to 25,27,37,38,40,42,43,44,47,58 

“ anticlinal, 17,25,39,41,  43 


I 

180  G4.  REPOET  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Paf?e. 

Nittany  mountain, 2,25,35,36,  40 

North  Fork, 48,  49 

North  Point, 5,22,  60 

Northumberland  County, 83 

Noyes, 62 

“ township,  . ...  61,2,10,20,35,60,  68 

Ohio,  . . . .3,5,59,80,81,87,88,89,90,91,96,97,99,100,103,110,111,112,113,115 

“ line, 80,81,87,88,  97 

Oil  City, 87 

Oil  regions, 80 

“Old  Deborah”  (Freedley)  furnace, 12,  37 

OxBow;  bend;  well, 67,86,108 

Paddy’s  run, 8,11,  60 

Peacock  mines, 49,50,169 

Pennsylvania-Ohio  line, 110 

Philadelphia  and  Erie  RR., 4,28,43,47,48,82  , 84 

“ Lower  junction,  near  Queenstown, 49 

Pine, 4 

Pine  creek, 3,9,29,28,46,52,155,159 

Pine  Creek  township, 52,35,54  , 56 

Pine  Glen, 165 

Piper,  Edward,  50 

Platt,  Mr.  F 19,29,30,31,35,56,84  , 92 

Pleasant  Valley, 27 

Pocono  plateau, 107 

Porter  township, 40,35,  36 

Potter  County ; line, 1,22,27,66,112,113  ; 60,  66 

“ glaciers,  . 61 

Queen's  run, 3, 

4 ,8 , 17 , 22 , 54 , 55 ,57 ,58 ,82 , 84  to  86 , 88 ,92 ,97  to  99 , 101  to  103 ,113,160, 166 , 173 

“ basin ; coal  mines,  19,32,35,50,59,153 

Queen’s  run  clay,  bricks,  &c., 159 

Queen’s  run  section, 117 

Queenstown, 49 

Ram  run, 163 

Rathbun;  section;  in  detail, 5,94,98;  118;  141 

Rattlesnake  run, 59 , 93 

Rattling  run, 39 

Raush’s, 69 

Raymilton, 100 

Reaville’s  settlement,  169 

Reavilleton, 49,  50 

“ N.  Y.  Coal  Co’s  bank, 49,  50 

Rebersburg, 37 

Reno, 100 

Renovo, 5,19,29,36,60,72,75,85,87,92,93,98,117 

“ coal  basin  ; tract, 73 ; 62 

“ Synclinal — trough, 60,  73 

Renovo — Karthau’s  basin, 27 

Report  G (Bradford  county),  27,  31 

“ GG  (Lycoming  county), 27,28,31,  39 


INDEX. 


G4 181 


Report  GGG  (Potter  county), 

“ H (Clearfield  county), 

“ I.  (Venango  oil  district), 

“ I.I.  (Venango  oil  district), 

“ I.I.I.  (Venango  oil  district), 

“ N (Railroad  levels),  

“ Q and  QQ  (Beaver  and  Lawrence  counties}, 

“ R (McKean  county), 

“ T (Blair  county), 

“ V (Butler  county), 

“ VV  (Clarion  county), 

Revilletown, 

Ridgway, 

“ well ; section ; in  detail, 

Ritchie;  station, 

“ section, 

Rock  cabin  coal  mines,  . . . 

“ RR., 

Rock  cities,  

Rogers,  Prof., 

Rohen  (Geo.)  bank, 

Rohen’s  (John)  farm, 

Round  Island,  . . 

Salamanca  Rock  City, 

Salona,  

Sanders,  Mr., 

Schuylkill  river, . . . 

Scrubgrass,  

Second  anticlinal  (Driftwood)  axis, 

Second  mountain, 

Second  Survey, 

Shaw’s  gap,  

Shaw’s  house, 

Sheffield  well-record, 

Shenango  river,  . . 

Sherwood,  Mr.,  ...  

Shickshinny  mountain, 

Shintown  opening, 

Shintown  run, 

Shorb,  Lyon,  & Co’s,  lands, 

“Short  bend ” in  Kettle  creek, 

Sinnemahoning, 

“ river ; region ; valley, 

“ section  in  detail,  

Sligo ; well  section  in  detail, 

Slippery  Rock  creek, 

Smith  (John)  well  section, 

Snow  Shoe, 

“ sub-basin ; coal  field  ; district, 

Snowdon,  Mr. ; place, 

Snowdon  (Patrick)  farm,  


Page. 
. 27,  31 
...  30 
...  80 
27,80,  82 
...  80 
...  4 

...  91 
75,76,  91 
. . 84 


91,95,100 

88,  96 

96 

. . . .5,82,98,101,146 

86 ; 118  ; 142 

. 4,22,85,86,99,102;  29 

102 

49,50,51,55,167,168,172 
.........  48,  49 

. . . 7 

18,  58 

71 

70 

5,  67 

105 


12,41,  42 
...  97 
...  82 
...  100 
...  27 
...  101 
...  17 
...  39 
...  39 


91 

31 

108 

. . *. 75,  76 

19,63,73  to  75,134 

12 

63 

5,86,87,90,93,96,98,99,101 
. . . 8,30,66,67,68;  80;  86 

135 

88,119;  149 

100 

119,150 

82,83,95,165 

. . . 28,29,31;  31;  28,  56 

70,  71 

69 


182  G4.  REPORT  OF  PROGRESS.  H.  M.  CHANCE. 


Page. 

Snydersburg  well  section ; in  detail, 119 ; 149 

Spearing.  See  Irvin  & Spering, 50,168 

Springer’s  place, 57 

State  line, 105 

State  map, 28 

Sterling;  section  in  detail, 5,86,93,96,98,101,108;  118,136 

Stevenson,  Mr.,  ....  92 

St.  Mary’s, 5,94,96,141 

Stoneham ; well-record, 101 ; 86 

Sugar  valley;  axis, 36,2,9,12,23,25,37,43  ; 25 

Sullivan  county, 28 

Sunbury,  4 

Susquehanna  county,  108 

“ river,  8,9,22,23,39,42,54,59,60,61,68,73,74,79,82,83,84,101,102 

“ North  Branch;  West  B.anch ; valley, 107;  9,30,92;  3 

Switch-back  railroad, 92 

Tangascootack, 17,  96 

“ creek;  branches, 3,8,28,47,48;  10,  49 

“ basin;  coalfield;  ....  165;  28,48,52,55;  19,  35 

“ section  in  detail;  by  J.  T.  Hodge, 166;  171 

Tangascootack-Queen’s  Run  basin,  27 

Taylor  & Eakin’s  well  section  in  detail,  140 

Three  Runs ; upper  branch, 19  ; 69 

Tidewater  Pipe  Line, 9 

Tidioute ; well-record, 87  ; 86 

Tioga  county, 29,30,31,108 

Tioga  river,  107 

Tomb’s  run  valley,  159 

To wanda  axis;  basin, 32;  31,  57 

“ mountain;  synclinal, 30,59;  29 

Towler.  See  Hunt  & Towler, 146 

Tunkhannock, 108 

Tylersburg  well, 86 

Underwood’s  place, 59 

Venango, 100 

“ County,  86,92,94,101,109,112,113 

“ oil-belt;  oil-sand  group,  87,100,109  ; 80 

Venango-Clarion  oil  district, 79 

Vermillion  river, 112 

Viaduct  sub-basin, 31 

Viaduct  axis;  1st  sub-axis, 29;  32 

Warren;  County, 5,101;  86,90,94,98 

Washington  furnace, 12,37,  41 

Washington  gap, 37 

Wayne;  station;  township,  4,9;  43;  35,38,42,44,52 

White  (I.  C ), 80,91,108 

Wellsborough  anticlinal, 32 

West  Branch  Coal  Co.,  bank, 50 

West  Branch,  Susquehanna, 9,30,  92 

West  Creek  Summit,  5 

West  Keating;  township, 4;  68,1,10,17,19,30,  35 


INDEX, 


G4.  183 


West  Virginia, 

Westmoreland  County,  . . . . 
Westport;  Section;  Coal  lands, 

Wetham  Station, 

“ basin, 

“ Section ; in  detail, 

Wilcox, 

“ Section ; in  detail,  . . . . , 

“ wells,  . . 

Wilkes-Barre, 

Williamsburg  valley, 

Williamsport ; Companies,  . . . 

Wilmot  anticlinal, 

Wilson  (Jas.)  lands, 

Wistar ; Coal  Co. ; coal  lands,  . 

Woodward  township,  

Wyalusing  Falls, 

Young womanstown  ; creek,  . . 


Page. 

92 

92 

5,11,17,19,64,66;  65;  63 
. 4,19,29,93,96,98,99,163 
. . 27  to  29,31,32,57,59 

117;  130 

. .5,86,87,98,99,101,146 

119;  143 

86,143 

108 

32 


4,9;  11 
. . 32 
. . 50 


5,67;  67;  19,135 
. . .54,35,56,57 
29 


60,85;  8,11,30,73,11 


Second  Geological  Survey  of  Pennsylvania. 


REPORTS  FOR  1874,  1875,  1876,  1877,  1878,  1879,  AND  1880. 


The  following  Reports  are  issued  for  the  State  by  the  Board  of  Commis- 
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PRICES  OF  REPORTS. 

A.  Historical  Sketch  of  Geological  Explorations  in  Pennsylvania 
and  other  States.  By  J.  P.  Lesley.  With  appendix,  containing  Annual 
Reports  for  1874  and  1875  ; pp.  226,  8vo.  Price  in  paper,  $0  25  ; postage,  $0  06. 
Price  in  cloth,  $50  50 ; postage,  $50  10. 

B.  Preliminary  Report  of  the  Mineralogy  of  Pennsylvania — 

1874.  By  Dr.  F.  A.  Genth.  With  appendix  on  the  hydro-carbon  compounds, 
by  Samuel  P.  Sadtler.  8vo.,  pp.  206,  with  map  of  the  State  for  reference  to 
counties.  Price  in  paper,  $50  50 ; postage,  $0  08.  Price  in  cloth,  $0  75 ; post- 
age, $0  10. 

B. 8  Preliminary  Report  of  the  Mineralogy  of  Pennsylvania  for 

1875.  By  Dr.  F.  A.  Genth.  Price  in  paper,  $0  05 ; postage,  $50  02. 

C.  Report  of  Progress  on  York  and  Adams  Counties— 1874.  By 
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(1) 


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eastern Pennsylvania,  1875 ; Part  I,  Historical  Introduction.  By  T.  Sterry 
Hunt.  8 vo.,  pp.  253.  Price,  $0  48 ; postage,  $0  12. 

F.  Report  of  Progress  in  the  Juniata  District  on  Fossil  Iron  Ore 
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Aughwick  Valley  and  East  Broad  Top  District.  By  C.  A.  Ashbur- 
ner.  1874-8.  Illustrated  with  7 Geological  maps  and  19  sections.  8 vo.,  pp. 
305.  Price,  $>2  55  ; postage,  $0  20. 

Gr,  Report  of  Progress  in  Bradford  and  Tioga  Counties — 1874-8.  I. 
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wood. II.  Description  of  the  Barclay,  Blossburg,  Fall  Brook,  Arnot, 
Antrim,  and  Haines  Coal  Fields,  and  at  the  Forks  of  Pine  Creek  in 
Potter  County.  By  Franklin  Platt.  III.  On  the  Coking  of  Bitumin- 
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GG.  Report  of  Progress.  The  Geology  of  Lycoming  and  Sullivan 
Counties.  I.  Field  Notes,  by  Andrew  Sherwood.  II.  Coal  Basins,  by  Frank- 
lin Platt.  With  two  colored  geological  county  maps  and  numerous  illustra- 
tions. 8 vo.,  pp.  268.  Price,  $1  06 ; postage,  $0  14. 

GGG.  Report  of  Progress  in  1876-9.  8 vo.,  pp.  120.  The  Geology  of 
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of  sections.  Price,  $0  58 ; postage,  $0  08. 

H.  Report  of  Progress  in  the  Clearfield  and  Jefferson  District 
of  the  Bituminous  Coal  Fields  of  Western  Pennsylvania— 1874.  By 
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Price  in  paper,  $1  50  ; postage,  $0  13.  Price  in  cloth,  $1  75  ; postage,  $0  15. 

HH.  Report  of  Progress  in  the  Cambria  and  Somerset  District 
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and  W.  G.  Platt.  Pp.  194,  illustrated  with  84  wood-cuts  and  4 maps  and  sec- 
tions. Part  I.  Cambria.  Price,  $1  00 ; postage,  $0  12. 

HHH.  Report  of  Progress  in  the  Cambria  and  Somerset  District 
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tions. Part  II.  Somerset.  Price,  $0  85  ; postage,  $0  18. 

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$0  14. 

I.  Report  of  Progress  in  the  Venango  County  District — 1874.  By 
John  F.  Carll.  With  observations  on  the  Geology  around  Warren,  by  F.  A. 
Randall;  and  Notes  on  the  Comparative  Geology  of  North-eastern  Ohio  and 
Northwestern  Pennsylvania,  and  Western  New  York,  by  J.  P.  Lesley.  Svo., 
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II,  Report  of  Progress,  Oil  Wells,  Records,  and  Levels — 1876-7. 
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Price,  $0  60 ; postage,  $0  18. 

J.  Special  Report  on  the  Petroleum  of  Pennsylvania — 1874,  its 
Production,  Transportation,  Manufacture,  and  Statistics.  By  Henry  E.  Wrig- 
ley.  To  which  are  added  a Map  and  Profile  of  a line  of  levels  through  Butler, 

(2) 


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K.  Report  on  Greene  and  Washington  Counties — 1875,  Bituminous 
Coal  Fields.  By  J.  J.  Stevfenson,  8 vo.,  pp.  420,  illustrated  by  3 sections  and  2 
county  maps,  showing  the  depth  of  the  Pittsburg  and  Waynesburg  coal  bed, 
beneath  the  surface  at  numerous  points.  Price  in  paper,  $0  65  ; postage,  $0  16. 
Price  in  cloth,  $0  90 ; postage,  $0  18. 

KK.  Report  of  Progress  in  the  Fayette  and  Westmoreland  Dis- 
trict of  the  Bituminous  Coal  Fields  of  Western  Pennsylvania — 
1876.  By  J.  J.  Stevenson ; pp.  437,  illustrated  by  50  wood-cuts  and  3 county 
maps,  colored.  Part  I.  Eastern  Allegheny  County,  and  Fayette  and  West- 
moreland Counties,  west  from  Chestnut  Ridge.  Price,  $1  40 ; postage,  $0  20. 

KKK.  Report  of  Progress  in  the  Fayette  and  Westmoreland 
District  of  the  Bituminous  Coal  Fields  of  Western  Pennsylvania — 1877. 
By  J.  J.  Stevenson.  Pp.  331.  Part  II.  The  Ligonier  Valley.  Illustrated 
with  107  wood-cuts,  2 plates,  and  2 county  maps,  colored.  Price,  $1  40 ; post- 
age, |0  16. 

L.  1875 — Special  Report  on  the  Coke  Manufacture  of  the  Yough- 
iogheny  River  Valley  in  Fayette  and  Westmoreland  Counties, 
with  Geological  Notes  of  the  Coal  and  Iron  Ore  Beds,  from  Surveys,  by  Charles 
A.  Young;  by  Franklin  Platt.  To  which  are  appended:  I.  A Report  on 
Methods  of  Coking,  by  John  Fulton.  II.  A Report  on  the  use  of  Natural  Gas 
in  the  Iron  Manufacture,  by  John  B.  Pearse,  Franklin  Platt,  and  Professor 
Sadtler.  Pp.  252.  Price,  81  00 ; postage,  $0  12. 

M.  Report  of  Progress  in  the  Laboratory  of  the  Survey  at 
Harrisburg — 1874-5,  by  Andrew  S.  McCreath.  8vo.,  pp.  105.  Price  in  pa- 
per, 80  50 : postage,  80  05.  Price  in  cloth,  80  75 ; postage,  80  08. 

MM.  Second  Report  of  Progress  in  the  Laboratory  of  the  Sur- 
vey at  Harrisburg,  by  Andrew  S.  McCreath — 1876-8,  including  I.  Classifica- 
tion of  Coals,  by  Persifor  Frazer.  II.  Firebrick  Tests,  by  Franklin  Platt. 
III.  Notes  on  Dolomitic  Limestones,  by  J.  P.  Lesley.  IV.  Utilization  of  An- 
thracite Slack,  by  Franklin  Platt.  V.  Determination  of  Carbon  in  Iron  or 
Steel,  by  A.  S.  McCreath.  With  3 indexes,  plate,  and  4 page  plates.  Pp.  438. 
Price  in  cloth,  80  65  ; postage,  80  18. 

N.  Report  of  Progress — 1875-6-7.  Two  hundred  Tables  of  Elevation 
above  tide  level  of  the  Railroad  Stations,  Summits  and  Tunnels  ; Canal  Locks 
and  Dams,  River  Riffles,  &c.,  in  and  around  Pennsylvania ; with  map  ; pp.  279. 
By  Charles  Allen.  Price,  80  70 ; postage,  80  15. 

O.  Catalogue  of  the  Geological  Musuem — 1874-5-6-7.  By  Charles  E. 
Hall.  Part  I.  Collection  of  Rock  Specimens.  Nos.  1 to  4,264.  Pp.  217.  Price, 
80  40;  postage,  80  10. 

P.  1879 — Atlas  of  the  Coal  Flora  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  the 
Carboniferous  Formation  throughout  the  United  States.  87  plates 
with  explanations.  By  Leo  Lesquereux.  Price,  83  35;  postage,  80  22. 

PP.  Upper  Carboniferous  Flora  of  WESf  Virginia  and  S.  W. 
Pennsylvania,  with  38  plates  and  text.  By  Wm.  Fontaine,  A.  M.,  and  I.  C. 
White.  Price,  82  25;  postage,  80  17. 

Q.  Report  of  Progress  in  the  Beaver  River  District  of  the  Bitu- 
minous Coal  Fields  of  Western  Pennsylvania.  By  I.  C.  White;  pp. 
337,  illustrated  with  3 Geological  maps  of  parts  of  Beaver,  Butler,  and  Alle- 

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gheny  Counties,  and  21  plates  of  vertical  sections — 1875.  Price,  $1  40 ; post- 
age, $0  20. 

QQ.  Report  of  Progress  in  1877.  The  Geology  of  Lawrence  County, 
to  which  is  appended  a Special  Report  on  the  Correlation  of  the  Coal 
Measures  in  Western  Pennsylvania  and  Eastern  Ohio.  8 vo.,  pp.  336,  with 
a colored  Geological  Map  of  the  county,  and  134  vertical  sections.  By  I.  C. 
White.  Price,  $0  70 ; postage,  $0  15. 

QQQ.  Report  of  Progress  in  1878.  8 vo.,  pp.  233.  The  Geology  of 

Mercer  County,  by  I.  C.  White,  with  a colored  geological  map  of  county, 
and  119  vertical  sections.  Price,  $0  60;  postage,  $0  11. 

Y.  Report  of  Progress — 1878.  Part  I.  The  Northern  Townships  of  But- 
ler county.  Part  II.  A special  survey  made  in  1875,  along  the  Beaver  and 
Shenango  rivers,  in  Beaver,  Lawrence,  and  Mercer  Counties.  8 vo.,  pp.  248, 
with  4 maps , 1 profile  section  and  154  vertical  sections.  By  H.  Martyn 
Chance.  Price,  $0  70 ; postage,  $0  15. 

YV.  Report  of  Progress  in  1879.  8 vo.,  pp.  232.  The  Geology  of  Clar- 
ion County,  by  H.  Martyn  Chance,  with  colored  geological  map  of  county, 
a map  of  the  Anticlinals  and  Oil  Belt,  a contoured  map  of  the  Old  River 
Channel  at  Parker,  83  local  sections  figured  in  the  text,  and  4 page  plates.  • 
Price,  $>0  43 ; postage,  $0  12. 

Other  Reports  of  the  Survey  are  in  the  hands  of  the  printer,  and  will  soon 
be  published. 

The  sale  of  copies  is  conducted  according  to  Section  10  of  the  Act,  which 
reads  as  follows : 

* * * “Copies  of  the  Reports,  with  all  maps  and  supplements, 

shall  be  donated  to  all  public  libraries,  universities,  and  colleges  in  the  State, 
and  shall  be  furnished  at  cost  of  publication  to  all  other  applicants  for 
them .” 

Mr.  F.  W.  Forman  is  authorized  to  conduct  the  sale  of  reports ; and  letters 
and  orders  concerning  sales  should  be  addressed  to  him,  at  223  Market  street, 
Harrisburg.  Address  general  communications  to  Wm.  A.  Ingham,  Secretary. 

By  order  of  the  Board, 

WM.  A.  INGHAM, 
Secretary  of  Board. 

Rooms  of  Commission  and  Museum  : Address  of  Secretary : 

223  Market  Street , Harrisburg.  223  Market  Street , Harrisburg. 


(4) 


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Second  Geological  Survey  df  Pennsylvania 
S,P. Lesley,  State  Geologist. 

A Map 

of  the 

Henovo  Coal  Basin 


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Elevation , 

1316.  Uide). 

I JW‘6.7.9.  1466. 1423'. 1336. 

S.  | 1436.  14661 
2140  I m*  1.2.3.  lO.  Iis3. 1393. 14Sd.  140V ‘ 
calculated  only  lor  the  length  of  Section 


Sections  of  the  Snb-Cnrlboniferons  Rocks  from 


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T0P0(3*WAI,MAP 

IN  TlllRTY-EOOT  CONTOUR  CURVES 


BUFFALO  (’( )ALfOMll\NYS  TRACT 

IN  THE  VICINITY  OF 

(’II’RMONT.SERGFANT  TOWN  Sill  I1, 
MKKAN  COUNTY 


